Many factors play into an areas economy. The discussions on this blog will be targeted towards promoting strengths in the Town of Dennis, while also recognizing areas where changes may need to be, and are being, made.
This first discussion focuses on the educational system in the town. The numbers show that the Town of Dennis is served by a good educational system. Standardized test scores and the percentage of high school graduates attending college illustrate community strengths. Encouraging these graduates to return to town after college is one of the weaknesses of the local economy – the lack of quality jobs for college graduates and housing affordable to people starting their post-college lives.
The quality of the education system plays a critical role in the town by providing an educated workforce which can attract higher quality employers. Higher quality employers, in turn will place increased demands upon the school system. An educated workforce also leads to increased earning power that has a direct effect on business profits and local tax revenues. An effective educational program can also improve the success rates for students from at-risk families, reduce crime, drug and alcohol abuse, and welfare dependence. The quality of the learning environment is reflected in the school district’s pupil-to-teacher ratios, per-pupil spending, expulsion rates, and teacher qualifications. The effectiveness of the school system includes indicators such as graduation rates, drop-out rates, and standardized test scores. The following discussion draws upon the data available for the Dennis-Yarmouth School District from the State Department of Education.
During the 2007-2008 school year there were 3,586 students in the Dennis Yarmouth School System, of these 1,002 were enrolled in the Dennis Yarmouth Regional High School. Dennis is served by two elementary schools, the Ezra Baker School serving 424 pre-kindergarten to third grade students and the Nathaniel Wixon School serving 513 grade 4 through 8 students.
Quality Learning Environment
Pupil-to-teacher ratios in the Dennis Yarmouth School District are generally better than state levels with the district averaging 11.9 to 1. The total expenditures per student, indicates the amount of money the school district spends on each student in a given year. The Dennis Yarmouth School District spends $11,726 per pupil, which is slightly below the state level.
Quality Learning Environment
Indicator Year Ezra Nathaniel Dennis State
.. Baker Wixon Yarmouth
High School
Pupil 2007-2008 11.3 11.6 12.0 13.6
to-Teacher
Ratios
Dennis Yarmouth State
School District
Total 2006-2007 $11,726 $11,859
Expenditures 2005-2006 $11,254 $11,210
Per Student 2004-2005 $10,511 $10,599
2003-2004 $ 8,363 $ 8,591
The Massachusetts Legislature determines each year how much in total operating revenues school districts receive from the state general fund. Town appropriations are limited by Proposition 2 ½ and the ability to obtain over-rides when the Proposition 2 ½ limits are inadequate to meet local school needs. State funding is based upon many different factors, however, the consensus on Cape Cod is that the formula does not favor any of the Cape School Districts
Effective Learning Environment
The effectiveness of an education system can be indicated in a number of ways: such as graduation rates, drop-out rates, and test scores.
Graduation rate is the percentage of students who receive a high school diploma versus those who were enrolled and could have graduated during a four-year period. Enrollment for the graduation rate is calculated by the number of eighth-graders in the district four years earlier and adjusted for transfers in and out of the district during the high school years. Graduation rates are 78.9% in the Dennis Yarmouth School District this is below the state graduation level.
Indicator Year Dennis Yarmouth State
Graduation Rate 2007 78.9 80.9
in Percentages 2006 83.9
Drop-out rates are 4.8% in the school district, and tends to run above the state average drop out rate. A drop-out is a student who leaves school for any reason, except death, expulsion, or transfer, prior to completing a high school diploma. If a student leaves a school district without a request to forward educational records, the student is considered a drop-out, although he or she may have enrolled in another school without the district’s knowledge.
Indicator Year Dennis Yarmouth State
Drop-out 2007 10.7 3.8
Rate 2006 6.7
in Percentages
Standardized tests are included in this section because they currently provide the most consistent and available indicators that can be collected for all school districts. The SAT measures student readiness for college. The SAT Scores for Dennis Yarmouth tend to run above the state and national averages on these tests.
Indicator Year Dennis Yarmouth State National
Average SAT Scores
Reading
. 2006-07 509 502 502
. 2005-06 513 503 503
. 2004-05 513 508 508
Writing
. 2006-07 504 494 494
. 2005-06 497 497 497
. 2004-05
Math
. 2006-07 520 515 515
. 2005-06 506 518 518
. 2004-05 507 518 520
The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment Test (MCAS) measures student progress toward meeting state performance standards in reading, writing, math, and science. MCAS scores in Dennis Yarmouth are up
Indicators Year Ezra Baker State
Grade 3 Reading 2007 51 59
% Proficient 2006 48 48
and Above 2005 64 62
. 2004 70 63
Grade 3 Math 2007 57 60
% Proficient 2006 50 52
and Above
Indicators Year Nathaniel Wixon State
Grade 4 2007 50 56
Language Arts 2006 46 50
% Proficient 2005 54 50
and Above 2004 62 44
Grade 4 2007 36 48
Math % Proficient 2006 33 40
and Above 2005 46 41
. 2004 46 42
Indicators Year Nathaniel Wixon State
Grade 8 2007 76 75
Language Arts 2006 77 74
% Proficient 2005 77 66
and Above 2004 66 68
Grade 8 2007 48 45
Math % Proficient 2006 43 49
and Above 2005 31 39
. 2004 45 39
Indicators Year Dennis Yarmouth State
High School
Grade 10 2007 78 71
Language Arts 2006 72 69
% Proficient 2005 67 65
and Above 2004 64 62
Grade 10 2007 74 69
Math % Proficient 2006 66 67
and Above 2005 63 62
. 2004 51 57
Community and parental involvement play a critical role toward ensuring that all children receive a quality education. Research during the past 30 years demonstrates that parents who are involved in their children’s education substantially increase student achievement. Parents are most effective when they help their children with learning projects at home, stress the importance of education and doing well in school, and work as partners with their child’s teachers. Volunteers can contribute significantly to the quality of education in their communities by serving as tutors and mentors in the schools, particularly for students whose families don’t have the capacity to be fully involved in their children’s education.
Healthy communities ensure that all students receive a high quality education by providing adequate funding for school programs and infrastructure. Although significant education-funding decisions are made in the state Legislature, the role of local communities given the Proposition 2 ½ restrictions also have significant impacts on the quality of education. In recent years the Dennis Yarmouth School System has faced Proposition 2 ½ over-rides to maintain school services. Community support is critical in successfully passing these over-rides. Communities can also support education through volunteerism with and/or contributions to non-profit organizations that provide supplemental educational services for our schools. Furthermore, we should continue to support and assess educational alternatives, including charter schools, home-schooling, and shared-schooling options. Most of all, healthy communities realize that learning is a lifelong process that’s supported through continued educational opportunities for all its citizens – young and old.
The blog will discuss demographic trends, land available for development, and permitting and zoning initiatives to address the economic future of the town. It is the hope of the town that people starting businesses, or people looking to relocate a business will find the information on this site useful and informative. We also hope that after reviewing this site, and information at the Dennis Planning Department site, you will choose to make Dennis a part of your future as well.
Filed under: Economic Development, Educational Data | Tagged: Economic Development, Educational Data
