>> CATHY: GRADUATION RATES FOR MINNESOTA HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS DIPPED SLIGHTLY LAST YEAR, ACCORDING TO NUMBERS RELEASED THIS WEEK BY THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.

THE DECREASES WERE MOSTLY SHOWN FOR BLACK, ASIAN AND LATINO STUDENTS, BUT SOME SCHOOL DISTRICTS HAVE PUSHED BACK SAYING THE DECREASE IS DUE TO THE STUDY OMITTING HUNDREDS OF SUMMER GRADUATES.

JOINING US NOW WITH INSIGHT ON THESE NUMBERS IS CHRISTINE TUCCI OSORIO, SUPERINTENDENT FOR THE NORTH ST. PAUL-MAPLEWOOD-OAKDALE SCHOOL DISTRICT.

WE JUST HAD Dr. OSTERHOLM ON TALKING ABOUT THE PANDEMIC.

HOW MUCH OF WHAT WE'RE SEEING NOW IS PANDEMIC AFTERSHOCKS?

>> ABSOLUTELY, I WOULD SAY, ALL OF IT.

BECAUSE RIGHT NOW, -- IN FACT, I WAS THINKING AS HE WAS SPEAKING, WHEN Dr. OSTERHOLM WAS SPEAKING ABOUT MAYA ANGELO SAID, WHEN YOU KNOW BETTER, YOU DO BETTER.

HINDSIGHT IS ALWAYS 20-20.

WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS BEFORE, BUT THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT, RIGHT?

ANGELOU.

AND I MENTIONED EARLIER THIS WEEK, WHEN WE WERE LOOKING AT DATA, WHILE OUR ACHIEVEMENT DATA IS RELATIVELY FLAT, WE'RE NOW COMBING THE DATA TO FIND THE UNKNOWN STUDENTS THAT WE'RE HEARING ABOUT IN THE NEWS RIGHT NOW, GOING BACK AND COMBING THROUGH ALL OF THAT, WE ALSO KNOW THAT WE, IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE SEEN A DRAMATIC DECREASE IN STUDENT BEHAVIOR REFERRALS.

SO, SUSPENSIONS, POLICE CALLS TO HIGH SCHOOLS, THINGS LIKE THAT.

AND I WOULD SAY THAT'S A FIRST GOOD SIGN OF THINGS HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.

AND THE SECOND PIECE I WOULD MENTION IS, ONE OF THE VERY STRANGE OUTCOMINGS OF THE PANDEMIC IS THE SHEER ABSENTEEISM OF STUDENTS.

WE ARE MISSING SO MANY MORE STUDENTS THAN WE EVER HAVE BEFORE.

THAT HAS TO BE AFFECTING OUR OUTCOMES RIGHT NOW.

>> Cathy: ARE THEY JUST NOT COMING BACK?

I MEAN, WHERE ARE THEY?

>> WELL, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT CATEGORIES.

SO THERE ARE STUDENTS WHO WE KNOW, WE HAVE CONTACT WITH, BUT THEY'RE JUST MISSING A LOT OF SCHOOL.

THERE'S ANOTHER CATEGORY, IN MINNESOTA, AFTER 125 DAYS OF MISSED -- 15 DAYS, OF MISSED SCHOOL, THEY HAVE TO BE DROPPED FROM OUR ENROLLMENT SYSTEMS.

WE GET THE 15-DAY TROP, NORMALLY IN THE PAST, WE'D GET A REQUEST FOR RECORDS FROM ANOTHER SCHOOL DISTRICT AND WE'RE NOT SEEING THEM.

SO THERE'S A WHOLE BATCH OF STUDENTS THAT ARE SIMPLY MISSING AND NOT IN SCHOOL.

>> Eric: HOW GOOD IS THIS DATA?

>> WHICH DATA?

>> Eric: THE GRADUATION RATE DATA, IF YOU HAVE THIS UNKNOWN LIST AND ALL THAT.

>> YES, WELL -- >> Eric: IS IT ACCURATE?

>> I THINK IT'S FAIRLY ACCURATE.

I KNOW WE HAVE BEEN CRUNCHING NUMBERS THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS SINCE IT CAME OUT WITH NAME BY NAME BY NAME TO SEE WHERE KIDS HAVE GONE.

AND I WILL TELL YOU THAT, FOR EXAMPLE, IN OUR ONLINE HIGH SCHOOL, OUR RATES ARE ABOUT 10% BETTER THAN WHAT CAME OUT BECAUSE OF THE KIDS WHO WEREN'T COUNTED IN SUMMER GRADUATION.

>> Eric: OH.

>> THAT SAID, FOR OUR BRICK AND MORTAR HIGH CHOOLS, AND WE HAVE A COUPLE OF THOSE, THE DIFFERENCE IS PROBABLY A PERCENTAGE POINT OR SO.

IT'S NOT A LOT.

SO IT'S FAIRLY ACCURATE.

IT SHOULDN'T BE DISMISSED.

THE DATA'S FAIRLY ACCURATE.

IT'S JUST SOME CLEANUP IS STILL NEEDED, I THINK.

>> Cathy: SO YOU REALLY DON'T KNOW WHERE THESE KIDS HAVE GONE TO.

ARE THEY JUST HANGING AROUND SOMEWHERE?

WHAT IS TO BECOME OF THEM THEN?

>> IT'S SO HEARTBREAKING.

AND I'LL TELL YOU ONE THING WE'RE WORKING ON IN, IN FACT, WE'VE BEEN N MEETINGS RECENTLY WITH RAMSEY COUNTY ATTORNEY JOHN CHOI'S OFFICE WITH ALL RAMSEY COUNTY SUPERINTENDENTS JUST TO LOOK AT, WHEN A STUDENT LEAVES OUR SYSTEM AND DISAPPEARS, WE'VE GOT TO START TALKING TO EACH OTHER BETTER TO SEE WHO'S HAD THE LAST KNOWN CONTACT WITH THAT FAMILY.

AND WE ALWAYS KEEP TRYING TO REACH THEM, BUT AT SOME POINT THEY'RE GONE AND WE DON'T KNOW WHERE THEY ARE AND WE LOSE CONTACT.

SO TRYING TO COORDINATE BETWEEN DISTRICTS AND AT A STATE LEVEL I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE REALLY IMPORTANT TO FINDING OUR MISSING STUDENTS.

>> Eric: WHAT'S THE CURRENT PHILOSOPHY, IS TO KEEP KIDS IN SCHOOL EVEN WHEN THEY MISBEHAVE OR DO YOU KICK THEM TO THE STREET WHERE THEY CAN GET INTO TROUBLE IN A BROADER SENSE?

>> GREAT QUESTION.

I WILL TELL YOU, FIRST OF ALL, WE FOCUS HEAVILY ON RELATIONSHIPS.

BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT KIDS, WHEN THEY HAVE PRACTICE, GETTING ALONG WITH OTHER KIDS, CLUB SPORTS, ACTIVITIES, FINE ARTS, WE'RE MEASURING, OUR GOAL IS EVERY HIGH SCHOOL IN SOMETHING, CONNECTED TO SOMETHING, BECAUSE ALL THE MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORTS IN THE WORLD DON'T MAKE UP FOR FRIENDS.

KIDS NEED FRIENDS.

AND ALL THOSE EXPERIENCES, EVEN FROM KINDERGARTEN ON, ARE REALLY ABOUT PRACTICING SOLVING PROBLEMS, RIGHT?

HOW DO YOU -- A PLAYGROUND ARGUMENT IN KINDERGARTEN IS A PLACE WHERE YOU LEARN THESE SKILLS.

AND IT'S AMAZING THE IMPACT OF SOME SHUTDOWN TIME AND THAT'S HAD ON THE ABILITY TO PROBLEM SOLVE.

IT'S AS STROUNDING, ACTUALLY, WE'VE BEEN SHOCKED AT HOW SIGNIFICANT THAT IS.

OUR HIGHEST RATES OF ABSENTEEISM, 12th GRADERS, NOT SURPRISINGINGLY.

SECOND LARGEST GROUP, EIGHTH GRADERS.

THIRD, KINDERGARTENERS.

THEY ARE A BIG COMPONENT TO MISSING SCHOOL.

AND, SO, THERE'S A LOT OF EDUCATION WITH THE COMMUNITY THAT IS NEEDED.

>> Eric: APPRECIATE YOU