Dropouts

Read more about people who leave school before earning a diploma and schools’ efforts to get all students to graduate
A series of screen grabs from video taken by a Spring Valley High School student last year shows Ben Fields, a sheriff’s deputy, forcibly removing a student from her desk after she refused to leave her high school math class in Columbia, S.C. Fields was fired, the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating, and the incident has sparked an effort in South Carolina to change a state law that can lead to students being arrested for behavior that is not considered a crime off school grounds.
A series of screen grabs from video taken by a Spring Valley High School student last year shows Ben Fields, a sheriff’s deputy, forcibly removing a student from her desk after she refused to leave her high school math class in Columbia, S.C. Fields was fired, the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating, and the incident has sparked an effort in South Carolina to change a state law that can lead to students being arrested for behavior that is not considered a crime off school grounds.
AP Photos
School Climate & Safety State Laws That Can Lead to School Arrests Targeted for Change
After the violent arrest of an uncooperative South Carolina student, advocates want changes to statutes they say allow students to be arrested for offenses that may not be a crime off school grounds.
Evie Blad, January 26, 2016
6 min read
School Climate & Safety In Many States, Prospects Are Grim for Incarcerated Youths
The quality of education for tens of thousands of locked-up juveniles significantly lags that of their peers in public schools, advocates say.
Denisa R. Superville, December 8, 2015
9 min read
College & Workforce Readiness News in Brief 'Dropout Factory' Schools Decline Across Nation
The nation has far fewer so-called "dropout factory" high schools these days, down sharply from 2008 as more students leave high school with a diploma, according to a report from the Alliance for Excellent Education, America's Promise Alliance, Civic Enterprises, and the Everyone Graduates Center at Johns Hopkins University.
The Associated Press, December 1, 2015
1 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
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Federal Opinion What Mexico Gets Right About Adult Ed.
A national commitment to adult education could transform the U.S. economy, writes high school teacher Scott Goldstein.
Scott Goldstein, December 1, 2015
6 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Report Roundup Student Mobility
For a teenager, moving—even if it's to a higher-income neighborhood—is linked to a decrease in the likelihood of graduating from high school, an analysis has found.
Debra Viadero, October 27, 2015
1 min read
Assessment News in Brief In Wake of Errors, Chicago Lowers Graduation Rate
The changes follow a district inspector general report and an investigation by Chicago's WBEZ public-radio station and the Better Government Association.
The Associated Press, October 13, 2015
1 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
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Student Achievement Opinion We Already Know How to Close the Achievement Gap
We don’t hear enough about interventions proven to make a difference for America’s most disadvantaged youths, writes Jim Shelton.
Jim Shelton, September 29, 2015
4 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Report Roundup Dropout Prevention
A new study argues that having an "anchor" and a "web" of support—rather than one person to act as a "hero"—can boost adolescents' chances of staying in school.
Catherine Gewertz, September 21, 2015
1 min read
College & Workforce Readiness High School Students Need 'Webs' of Supportive Adults, Study Says
A new study argues that high school students don't need heroes to help them manage tough times, they need "webs" of supportive adults.
Catherine Gewertz, September 16, 2015
2 min read
School & District Management Early Patterns of Chronic Absenteeism Threaten Academic Success, Groups Say
While attendance in later grades gets a lot of attention, educators and policy makers should also be concerned about early patterns of chronic absenteeism, two groups say.
Evie Blad, September 1, 2015
3 min read
FROM LEFT: Students and parents sit in on the “Surviving Your 1st Year & Beyond” workshop during a conference held last month by the District of Columbia College Access Program. Conference offerings cover everything from time management to how students from diverse backgrounds can adapt to a predominantly white university.
FROM LEFT: Students and parents sit in on the “Surviving Your 1st Year & Beyond” workshop during a conference held last month by the District of Columbia College Access Program. Conference offerings cover everything from time management to how students from diverse backgrounds can adapt to a predominantly white university.
Justin T. Gellerson for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness Educators Work to Stave Off 'Summer Melt'
Instead of heading to the beach, some counselors and youth groups are working hard to ensure that students who planned to go to college actually make it there.
Caralee J. Adams, August 4, 2015
7 min read
Equity & Diversity Report Roundup Kindergartners' Social Skills Found to Predict Adult Success
Children who share, resolve their own problems, and cooperate with peers are more likely to have positive life outcomes, a new study says.
Christina A. Samuels, August 4, 2015
1 min read
Students use a break between classes at Bowman High School for a drum circle.
Students use a break between classes at Bowman High School for a drum circle.
Sarah Butrymowicz
Equity & Diversity Holding California's 'Continuation' Schools Accountable: An Investigation
Thousands of low-income California students flood to the schools to fulfill academic credits they need to graduate from high school, but no one is keeping track of what happens to them, an analysis by the Hechinger Report finds.
Sarah Butrymowicz & The Hechinger Report, July 23, 2015
9 min read
Law & Courts Kentucky's New Dropout Law Could Face Legal Challenges
The state law raising the school dropout age from 16 to 18 could be in for both a legal challenge and revision from the 2016 General Assembly.
Valarie Honeycutt Spears, Lexington Herald-Leader, July 20, 2015
2 min read