From the Nov. 13, 1996 Daily Report Card:
-> *1   THE ANTI-DIPLOMA:  ONE IDEA FOR KEEPING KIDS IN SCHOOL
->    Joe Sandoval, principal of Denver's North High School,
-> concocted the "anti-diploma," his way of curtailing North High's
-> dropout problem (AP/CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 11/7).  Students on the
-> verge of dropping out of school are called to his office for a
-> meeting.  They are presented with the "anti-diploma," a form that
-> calls on them and their guardian to assume full responsibility
-> for leaving school.
->    From the "anti-diploma:"  "The undersigned guardian and
-> student accept full responsibility for the listed student being a
-> high school dropout.  By signing this disclaimer, I realize that I
-> will not have the necessary skills to survive in the 21st
-> Century."  The form lists the skills -- reading, writing,
-> arithmetic, problem-solving, responsibility and leadership --
-> that the student will not possess.  A warning also appears on the
-> diploma that informs recipients that they can expect to earn an
-> average $585 a month without a diploma, which is half of what
-> they would earn if they had diploma, reports the paper.  A
-> Certificate of Dropping Out accompanies the form.
->    According to the paper, four students have been offered the
-> "anti-diploma," which all declined.  The students agreed to go
-> back to school.  "It was something the kids could see," said
-> Sandoval.  "To a lot of them, that's the only way they'll ever
-> learn.  It was something in writing and to some of them, it was a
-> shock."
->    While the "anti-diploma" is the bedrock of Sandoval's
-> dropout-prevention activities, it is only one component.  The
-> school several years ago opened the Welcome Center to provide
-> after-school education for troubled students.  North High, under
-> Sandoval's guidance, offers "intensive" counseling of the 200
-> students most likely to quit school, reports the paper.
->    Sandoval also personally pursues potential drop-outs, trying
-> to persuade them to stay in school.  For example, the paper
-> chronicles one day when Sandoval drove through the neighborhood
-> searching for Isabel Godoy, who regularly misses school.  After
-> talking with her mother at home, Sandoval found Isabel hanging
-> out at a shop two blocks from school.  He successfully gets her to
-> meet him in his office, where he tries to ascertain what
-> Isabel's problem is with school.  From the paper:  "If the
-> problem is studying, Isabel can have tutoring.  If it's a
-> conflict with teachers, Sandoval promises to get her schedule
-> changed.  If it's class time, he can offer an alternative school, or
-> afternoon classes designed to help students get a GED high
-> school equivalent."
->    Isabel agrees to return to her regular classes, but it
-> "doesn't mean anything unless they graduate,"  Sandoval remarked.
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