Assessment of Cornerstone Program as an Intervention to Reduce Drop Out

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Education as an agent to alleviate poverty and effect change. It could not be counted if learners dropped from school and do something else. The increasing rate of dropouts remained a problem and it has a rippling effect in passing poverty to succeeding generations. Thus, dropout issues must be addressed. Francisco E. Barzaga Memorial School (FEBMS) in Dasmarinas City had an average dropout rate of 3.06% from 2011 to 2016. Causes are reportedly due to financial problems and disinterest to school due to poor performance. Collaboration with Couples for Christ and Ateneo de Manila University, through the Cornerstone Program, was implemented to assist at-risk learners and address dropout issues. Tutorials, values-formation, feeding, and parent empowerment activities were provided.

METHODS

Thirty (30) grades 2 and 3 learners, identified as at-risk, had undergone the Cornerstone Program in 2014. This descriptive research, which used descriptive statistics, was conducted in the school year 2018 -2019 to investigate the promotion, survival, and re-enrollment rates of the participants in three succeeding school years following the completion of the Program. This also assessed the effect of the Program on the overall grades 2 and 3 survival rates.

RESULTS

2014 Cornerstone participants were mostly female, ages 7 to 10 whose abilities in reading English were mostly in Frustration level. The survival rate among the participants in the succeeding three school years had an average of 95.25%. Despite success in mortality and re-enrollment among participants, it did not suffice to affect the overall grades 2 and 3 survival rates, likewise that of the school.

DISCUSSIONS

Truancy and reading ability were two of the indicators for dropping out. Though in number, females dominated the Cornerstone Program enrolment while males were at greater risk of dropping easily due to family problems and disinterest to school caused by the inability to cope in academics. Female participants managed to overcome reading skills issues and remained in school. 2 out of 4 early dropouts among participants managed to go back to school which may indicate the long-term positive effect of the program. Personal and family issues pushed learners to leave school and need intervention. Schools could seek for stakeholders that can provide support in implementing multi-dimensional programs for more at-risk learners. An increase in the number of participants on effective programs like Cornerstone could lessen dropout rates, if not eradicate them entirely. Thus, the promise of education to alleviate poverty could be achieved.