Second Chances
Turning Dropouts Into Graduates
June 6, 2013
- Education A Difficult PathBy high school, it can be easy for those risk factors to create a self-feeding cycle. Walk a few steps in the shoes of one at-risk high school freshman, and try to find the path through to a diploma.College & Workforce Readiness Saving Our DropoutsAn interactive timeline looking at federal, regional, and local efforts to establish dropout-intervention programs to help keep students in school.College & Workforce Readiness Dropout Recovery Takes Shape NationwideEfforts to bring back students who have given up on a diploma vary from state to state.Student Well-Being Many States Put Age Limits on Schools' Dropout-Recovery ServicesNewly updated data show that laws in 27 states require free schooling for students up to age 21, while two states cut off students' route to a diploma at 19.College & Workforce Readiness New GED Tests Stir Concerns, Draw CompetitorsComputer tests, career-readiness scores, more rigor, and a higher price are among the changes to the alternative program for receiving a high school credential.School Choice & Charters Chicago Charter Network Specializes in DropoutsThe 22 different Youth Connection Charter Schools specialize in giving students second chances.College & Workforce Readiness Reluctant Student Finds a Focus in Chicago CharterA sound-engineering class at Youth Connection's Innovations High School helped hook Devonte Perry McCullum on education.School & District Management Ex-Honor-Roll Student Reconnects at Chicago CharterCaring teachers, hands-on work, and a safe environment persuaded Kimberly Mitchell to take another go at high school.College & Workforce Readiness Chicago Teen Goes From Dropout to Top StudentAndrew Delgado got his second chance at a charter school for students who have already left school or are likely to.College & Workforce Readiness Many Dropouts Try—and Fail—to Return to SchoolGetting the students past the schoolhouse door may be the easy part. Keeping them long enough to get a diploma is another thing entirely, say experts and educators.College & Workforce Readiness Online Providers Find a Market in Dropout RecoveryBut some educators and experts fear the rapid growth could lead to programs that offer uneven academic rigor and insufficient social and emotional support for this vulnerable group of returning students.College & Workforce Readiness Reasons to Drop Out—and to StayDropouts give a common array of reasons for leaving high school early, and targeted programs have been created in response.Education Sources and NotesDEFINING READINESS
College-readiness definition: The state has formal expectations for what students will need to know and be able to do in order to be admitted to state's two-year and/or four-year institutions and enroll in credit-bearing courses. State approaches to defining college readiness have been classified into the following categories: courses, skills, standards, and tests. Some states' definitions may include elements that do not fall into categories established for this analysis. EPE Research Center annual state policy survey (2012-13 school year), 2012.College & Workforce Readiness Nation's Graduation Rate Nears a MilestoneAt nearly 75 percent, the high school graduation rate for the class of 2010 is the highest since the 1970s, according to the latest analysis from the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center.College & Workforce Readiness A 'Neglected' Population Gets Another Chance at a DiplomaAround the country, schools and community groups are moving beyond dropout prevention to recover the students who have already left.Equity & Diversity As Graduation Rates Rise, Focus Shifts to DropoutsThe good news is that the U.S. graduation rate is nearing historic highs; the bad news is too many are left behind.Education Dropout EpicentersA geographical look at the twenty-five school districts that will collectively produce nearly 180,000 nongraduates for the class of 2013—about 18 percent of the nation's total.Education Graduation Rate Trends 1999-2000 to 2009-2010An interactive map that allows users to explore changes in state graduation rates over the past decade.