"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Turnaround or Full Speed Ahead?: House Committee Raises Concerns with School Turnaround Models Included in Obama…

This report analyzes the economic and social costs of the high school dropout problem in California from the perspective of a state taxpayer. The authors' analysis considers the consequences of this problem in terms of labor market, tax revenue, public health, and incarceration costs. The authors' quantification of these costs reveals the sizeable…

Graduation and dropout rates are the center of the conversation about high school reform, with President Obama and the U.S. Department of Education leading the charge to boost high school and college graduation rates among our nation's students in the next ten years. Recognizing the need for a comprehensive approach to keeping teens in school and…

Data from 805 California high schools are used to examine teacher education and experience in relation to student dropout rates. Dropout rates tend to be higher where faculties include a greater percentage of minimally educated teachers or teachers with little experience. These relationships are independent of school size, student poverty, and…

This brief presents the most current data available on the health, education and family well-being of children in California's immigrant families, who represent 51% of the state's total child population. It challenges misinformed and negative stereotypes about children in immigrant families. For example, 85% of children from immigrant families in…

School dropout rates for two consecutive years (1985-86 and 1986-87) for all California regular public high schools are examined in conjunction with the percentage of students covered by Aid to Families with Dependent Children, total enrollment, achievement, and academic course enrollments. Higher achievement was associated with lower dropout…

Educational policy makers have questioned the effects of school reform on at-risk students and suggested that higher academic standards may be associated with greater numbers of dropouts. This study examines school average dropout rates for 2 consecutive years in conjunction with percent aid to families with dependent children (AFDC), total…

This Kids Count data book and report card examines statewide and county level trends in the well-being of California's children, with an additional focus on indicators of the new economic realities encountered by families as counties take on greater responsibility for local welfare programs. The statistical portrait is based on indicators in the…

This publication provides descriptive information about the 100 largest school districts in the United States. Almost one in every four public school students in this nation is served by one of these large districts. They are distinguished from the average district by characteristics, in addition to sheer size, such as pupil-teacher ratios, high…