In 2007, Mooresville Graded School District developed a strategic plan to infuse twenty-first-century learning skills into the schools by providing staff and students in grades four through twelve with a laptop computer. In late fall of 2007, Mooresville High School deployed laptops to all certified staff and to the entire student body in the…

Noting that the nation is in the midst of a dropout crisis that will cost more than $3 trillion in lost wages over the lifetime of the 12 million students projected to drop out over the next decade, "Prioritizing the Nation's Lowest-Performing High Schools" calls on federal policymakers to perform "legislative triage" by devoting attention to the…

High school dropouts adversely impact the state of Tennessee each year--financially and socially. Dropouts' lower incomes, high unemployment rates, increased need for medical care, and higher propensity for incarceration create a virtual vortex that consumes Tennesseans' tax dollars at a vicious rate. Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent on…

This report analyzes the economic and social costs of the high school dropout problem in Montana from the perspective of a state taxpayer. The majority of the authors' analysis considers the consequences of this problem in terms of labor market, tax revenue, and public service costs. In quantifying these costs, the authors seek to inform public…

Dropping out of high school culminates a long-term process of disengagement from school and has profound social and economic consequences for students, their families, and their communities. Students who drop out of high school are more likely to be unemployed, to earn less than those who graduate, to be on public assistance, and to end up in…

The identification of dropouts and dropout rates, the characteristics of students who drop out, and their reasons for leaving high school are not easily determined. A study examined the perceptions of school district personnel regarding the annual dropout rate and the longitudinal dropout rate in the 38 districts of Regions 1 and 2 of Texas. It…

Presents dropout rates for 1998, as well as time series data on high school dropout and completion rates for 1972 to 1998. Also examines the characteristics of high school dropouts and completers in 1998. Uses sample survey data from the Current Population Survey and universe data from the Core of Common Data program. (SLD)

This document provides a brief overview of the ongoing dropout studies cited in the press and around the Austin Independent School District (AISD) in Austin, Texas. It includes a list of key observations which notes that the dropout rate among adolescents is too high; that approximately 20% of 16- to 24-year-olds in Texas do not have a high school…

Reviews a troubling report of a nationwide study of U.S. public high school graduation rates that revealed that fewer students were graduating from high school in the United States than is being reported by school districts, states, and the National Center for Education Statistics. Discusses the implications of these findings for counselors and…

This is a report on high school dropouts in the Los Angeles Unified School District during 1979-80. The study covered 110 secondary schools and sought to determine: 1) the frequency and rate of school leaving among tenth, eleventh, and twelfth graders; 2) the characteristics of the leaver; and 3) reasons for leaving school. The data were collected…

In this Issue Brief, differences in the average number of course credits earned between high school graduates and dropouts, both within and accumulated across academic years, are examined in order to describe enrollment and completion behavior of high school graduates and dropouts. Differences in course credit accrual by selected subjects…

This is the third edition of a new generation of reports on dropouts for the school district of Saginaw, Michigan. The dropout rate is specified as the percentage of students who leave school in any one year, adjusting for those who moved in and out of the district, whereas retention rate is defined as the percentage of ninth graders who graduate…

This study of dropout statistics in West Virginia in school year 1984-85 presents the data in the form of graphs. Each graph is followed by a one sentence conclusion and a question or questions about the dropout problem. Topics and questions covered are as follows: (1) was the dropout involved in Educational Consolidation Improvement Act (ECIA) or…

The large number of dropouts estimated by the California State Department of Education has caused concern for educators, lawmakers, and the general public. A 1985 investigation of the graduation rate of the 1979 freshman class of San Juan High School was conducted which also sought to identify logistical problems with the collection of data needed…

Examination of dropout trends in New York City for 1986-87 reveals the following: (1) the annual dropout rate was 7.3 percent for the high schools, and 8.3 percent system-wide; (2) the estimated four-year dropout rate was 26.3 percent for the high schools, and 29.2 percent system-wide; (3) the 1986-87 four-year high school dropout rate was 6.2…