The National Governors Association has selected six states in which it will work to help curb high school dropout rates.
The Washington-based group announced Jan. 4 that Colorado, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Tennessee, and West Virginia will be part of a two-year initiative that will devise new strategies for preventing students from dropping out of high school and bringing back those who have left.
The effort is being led by the NGA’s Center for Best Practices and builds on a recent report by the center that examined the underlying causes of the dropout problem and offered strategies for states to pursue to stem it.
In each state, the NGA will work with leaders to define the magnitude of the dropout problem and identify services that are either lagging or nonexistent that would help keep students from leaving school. The association will also help the six states come up with new policies, legislation, executive orders, and regulatory reforms to address the dropout issue.