Six years ago, Edgardo Pizarro was worried he'd become a statistic. "If I didn't get my act together before high school, I would be one of those at rick students dropping out of school. I didn't want that for my life," says Pizarro.
With the help of educator Wayne O'Connor, Pizarro was tutored at the Hillside Work Scholarship Program in Syracuse. O'Connor, who now heads the after school tutoring program, doesn't blame the district for Syracuse's dismal graduation rates. "They have parents who love them, but there are things going on at home or in the city that makes it hard to focus," says O'Connor.
Of the approximately 1,500 students expected to graduate last year, 44% of African-American students received a diploma, while only 29% of Hispanics did. Compare that to more than half of whites. Superintendent Dan Lowengard believes more programs like Say Yes and Hillside give students an alternative to the streets after school. "Then I think these racial and ethnic lines-- That gap will close because you provide the service across the board," says Lowengard.
There are 650 students in the Hillside program. O'Connor hopes to expand that to more than 1,000 by next year. Pizarro says, "If you have support behind you, it's more likely you'll end up graduating. Because you have that support there. A lotta students don't have this program, a lotta students." Edgardo says when he graduates this year, he plans to go to OCC-Mohawk valley for two years and then transfer to a 4 year college for a degree in engineering.
