Oakland, CA - Mills College students, in collaboration with KALW-FM Radio News, recently reported on the alarming dropout rate in Oakland public schools, resulting in a major public response. Originally broadcast on KALW 91.7 FM throughout the week of June 4, 2007, the special series entitled “The Dropout Dilemma” coordinated by Holly Kernan, Mills lecturer and KALW news director, gave eight Mills students interested in radio and journalism, the skills and opportunity to report, write, and produce their own radio stories.

The students spent the semester producing a series of radio reports examining a variety of issues about Oakland public schools, such as the small schools movement, the stresses making staying in school challenging, the impact of vocational education, and the federal No Child Left Behind law. 

According to independent researchers at institutions such as UCLA and the Urban Institute, more than 50 percent of Oakland public school students do not graduate from high school. Initiatives such as enabling students to form closer relationships with teachers, and combining careers with college preparation are designed to lower the dropout rate and encourage academic success.

Mills students examined these issues at Oakland Aviation School, Emiliano Zapata Street Academy, the Castlemont Community of Small Schools, Oakland High School, Skyline High School, Elmhurst Middle School, and the Fremont Federation of Small Schools.

Public radio listeners responded with calls and emails asking how they could help. Many of them sent donations to help some of the high schools students profiled with graduation costs, and food costs for the teachers. Two of the high school students are learning radio broadcasting at the station this summer with guidance from a Mills college intern.

Mills College is a nationally renowned, independent liberal arts college offering innovative degree programs for undergraduate women, and graduate degree and certificate programs for women and men. Consistently recognized as one of the top 100 liberal arts colleges in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, Mills currently ranks among the top 20 most diverse liberal arts colleges. The New York Times recently selected Mills as one of three leading California colleges for students to consider.

In 2006, the Washington Monthly College Rankings named Mills a leading liberal arts college based on community service, research spending, quality of preparation for graduate education, and social mobility. In addition, The Princeton Review’s annual guide, the Best 361 Colleges (2007) included Mills for the second year in a row among top U.S. institutions offering students an outstanding undergraduate education.

Nestled in the foothills of Oakland, California, on 135 lush acres, Mills provides a dynamic liberal arts education fostering women’s leadership, social responsibility, and creativity.

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