In this reflective essay, Alan McCullough Jr., Felton Morrell Jr., Bernard Thomas III, Vincente Waugh, and Nicholas Shubert with their teacher, Amy Donofrio, share the youth self-authorship methods that empowered them to transform their labels from "at-risk youth" to "at-hope youth leaders" in Jacksonville, Florida. After…

In this interview, Maggie MacDonnell, recipient of the 2017 Global Teacher Prize, discusses how growing up near a First Nations reserve in Nova Scotia opened her eyes to inequalities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada. She talks about the influence of Moses Coady, who instilled in her an appreciation for co-operative…

This position paper on student engagement is organized in response to major questions on how student engagement aligns with dropout prevention. Through a set of questions and responses, the "Weaving Student Engagement Into the Core Practices of Schools" position paper on student engagement : (1) defines the term "student…

Our personal and professional lives intersect: the story of how one young man dropped out of a doctoral program in physics to figure out what to do about the continuing problem of dropout in higher education.

For the data presented in this report, the author analyzed 17,587 Black, Hispanic, and White male and female students (Black males; N = 1,149) who completed the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (Ingels et al., 2011). This is a brief report from a larger study completed under the auspices of the National Dropout Prevention Center for Students…

Universities are not immune to the effects of the slumping economy, yet many of them are reporting their highest application and enrollment rates ever, as hard times compel people to look for new ways to increase their skills. Students' efforts to improve their job prospects, along with colleges' marketing efforts, have, indeed, translated to…

The issue of high school dropouts in America is both serious and important. Statistics, socioeconomic factors that most dropouts may face, preventative methods, and alternative forms of education that can help students still receive an education will be discussed. Dropping out of high school can lead a student to a more likely future of hardships…

The richest nation of the world, the United States still struggles to graduate 50% of its Latina/o high school students. Nominal policy attention on this issue begs the need for bolder and more creative initiatives that call attention to this crisis. States, districts, and schools need to reconfigure this pedagogical crisis by leveraging all…

Students who are at high risk of dropping out of high school encounter serious difficulties and challenges in their school-to-work and school-to-school transitions. While acknowledging that the prevention of high school dropout requires a comprehensive and systematic helping approach, this article attempts to take a close look at one of the…

The author presents an overview of the dropout problem, pointing out that what is really a diverse set of problems requires multiple approaches. (MT)

Profiles a dropout, or "pushout," notes the social costs of such people, and outlines some steps that can be taken to retain potential dropouts and pushouts, including individualizing instruction, identifying handicapping conditions, and observing student rights. (Author/IRT)

Describes several mentoring programs and their success in reducing the dropout rate. Suggests that participation in the simplest form of mentoring increases self-esteem and ambition. (JOW)

This article, written by the bill's sponsor, describes the "Smart Start" legislation introduced in Congress. This legislation's goal is to make high quality early childhood education available to families who want it. Smart Start's potential in combatting the high dropout rate is discussed. (IAH)

This is the second in a series of issue briefs to be written for The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement during 2006. In this issue brief, the author examines what recent research says about high school dropouts and explains the powerful role schools can play in keeping students on track to graduate. The latter includes…

The mission and vision statements of most educational institutions usually share the same lofty goal: to prepare students academically and socially for the opportunities they will face in their future adult lives. Unfortunately, this goal is not being met, and today's generation is facing a crisis going largely unnoticed. Today's graduates appear…