In Guilford County, N.C., small, college-based programs are offered in lieu of a traditional high school environment as part of a strategy to meet the academic, social, and emotional needs of students in its middle and high schools, where racial and ethnic diversity and poverty have been on the rise. As a result of such efforts the high school dropout rate has fallen by almost 50 percent in grades 9-12 since 1999.
What programs are you familiar with that have successfully decreased dropout rates in high schools? What factors should school leaders be paying attention to for dropout rates to fall?
