The Osceola County School Board had a happy Thanksgiving — and in some ways got an early Christmas present, too — when recent graduation rates were released by the Florida Department of Education.

District-wide, the graduation rate in the county was 83.5 percent in the 2009-10 school year. That’s a jump from 79.2 percent in 2008-09. Four percent and change might not seem like a huge increase, but coupled with increases from the school year prior to that, think of it this way:

Take a group of six school-aged kids who all failed to earn a diploma in 2008. This year, take one of those youths out of the line, for he/she earned his/her parchment. That student could be on to a college, a vocational school, or some other way to begin a career, armed with skills.

The District’s stats beat the statewide averages. Florida’s graduation rate statewide was 79 percent; in addition, Osceola’s 1.4 percent dropout rate is 30 percent lower than the statewide rate, which dropped to a record low of 2 percent.

The success can be attributed on many levels. County administrators recently made a seven-period day available, allowing students more opportunity to meet graduation requirements. Students who fall credits behind can make them up in the accelerated IMPACT program; without that, think of the number of students who lag behind and simply give up, thinking there’s no way to close such a gap in the time needed.

School officials implemented programs like report card nights, which help facilitate open lines of communication between parents and teachers.

Then there’s the classroom teachers — the front-line foot soldiers, if you will. They must keep our children engaged in learning in a changing world. Many are integrating new technology, on their own, into lesson plans.  Most of our educators take their work home, grading papers and trying to make sense of a bare-bones budget that can detract them from doing all they can to make learning a sought-after commodity for our children. Here’s hoping you were thankful for qualified educators over your holiday gatherings on Thursday.

But, at the end of the day, the students are achieving their necessary grades and test scores, with, in many cases, parents playing a critical role with their involvement in their children’s studies.

One can only hope the folks in Tallahassee are taking notice of what's going right in Osceola County classrooms, and, in turn, keep funding the district at an appropriate level.

That would be an even better Christmas gift to the folks on Bill Beck Boulevard.