Dropouts
Read more about people who leave school before earning a diploma and schools’ efforts to get all students to graduate
Every Student Succeeds Act
States Get Leeway on Naming 'Dropout Factories'
A loophole created when Congress dumped Obama-era ESSA rules could allow states to avoid publicly identifying high schools in need of intensive help.
Equity & Diversity
Suspending Students Costs Billions in Economic Losses, New Study Finds
In an analysis of a cohort of California 10th graders, University of California researchers calculated the financial impacts of students who were suspended and ended up dropping out. The cost: $2.7 billion.
College & Workforce Readiness
News in Brief
'Nudge' Letters Help Cut Chronic Absenteeism
In Tacoma, Wash., and 16 other cities across the nation, districts are boosting student attendance by sending home what they call "nudge" letters when students miss too many days of school.
College & Workforce Readiness
Investigation: High Schools Hide Dropouts by Steering Them to Alternative Programs
A ProPublica investigation finds that many high schools game their accountability systems by funneling their worst achievers to alternative schools, where they learn little or drop out.
College & Workforce Readiness
Surviving as a High School Dropout: Program Gives Students a Taste
Teenagers jump into half-day simulations that show them what life's experiences are like with and without a high school diploma.
Every Student Succeeds Act
ESSA Highlights Absenteeism as a Key Challenge for Schools
Reporting mandates, new leeway in using federal aid, and the chance to make student absenteeism a school-quality indicator all raise the issue's policy profile.
College & Workforce Readiness
Many Students 'Stop Out' of High School, Studies Find
Nationwide, data show that nearly 7 percent of high school freshmen stop out for four weeks or more—and then return to graduate.
College & Workforce Readiness
Study: 9th and 10th Grades Offer Key Chance to Re-Engage Disengaged Students
A new study finds that the first two years of high school offer a powerful opportunity to change the trajectories of students who have begun to disengage from school.
Every Student Succeeds Act
Assuring Needy Groups of Students Aren't Overlooked
A focus on the bottom of the scale may mask challenges for higher-performing schools when it comes to boosting achievement for students who lag behind.
School & District Management
Chronic Absenteeism Is Most Severe in Poor Communities
A new analysis of federal data finds half of the nation’s chronically absent students are enrolled in 4 percent of school districts.
School Climate & Safety
Video
Consequences of Corporal Punishment: A School Paddling Victim Tells His Story
Trey Clayton was just one of the tens of thousands of students paddled in school. But, in his case, the consequences were especially harsh.
College & Workforce Readiness
Report Roundup
Secondary School
In efforts to keep high school students on track to graduate, an evaluation of the Diplomas Now intervention suggests an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.
Equity & Diversity
Teenagers' Health, Educational Outcomes Improving, Report Finds
The Annie E. Casey Foundation's annual Kids Count Data Book cites improvements for teens, but notes that minorities still lag in several areas compared to their white peers.
College & Workforce Readiness
Intense Focus Needed to Help Homeless Students Stay in School, Study Argues
Disconnections make it tough for homeless students to stay in school, says a new study, but new requirements in the Every Student Succeeds Act bolster resources for their support.