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Item(s) found: 55
Money alone won't help schools
Date CapturedSaturday August 18 2007, 9:55 AM
Times Herald-Record op-ed contributor Dan Walters opines, "The education establishment has argued vociferously, with some success, that spending more on teacher salaries, smaller classes and better facilities would produce better outcomes. In the main, political leaders have endorsed that contention, although they've been unable to supply all the money that educators say they need. Critics have countered that there is no direct correlation between spending and academic success, noting that private schools and whole states with lower per-pupil spending levels often surpass California in national academic tests, high-school-dropout rates and other measures of performance. They contend that public education needs a structural overhaul, not merely more money."
Wappingers looks at special ed needs
Date CapturedTuesday August 14 2007, 7:59 AM
Poughkeepsie Journal reports, "A Wappingers school district committee is working to create a one-year action plan to address the graduation and dropout rates of special education students by focusing on improving literacy and instruction, improving special education programs and addressing behavior issues that may lead to less instruction time."
Student-tracking system launches
Date CapturedSunday August 05 2007, 5:38 PM
Tulsa World reports "It will also provide a more accurate assessment of dropout and graduation rates and student mobility, said State Superintendent Sandy Garrett. 'Mobility is a huge issue in today's world,' she said 'People move quite frequently.' For some children, that can mean transferring to two, three or even four different schools during the school year, she said. 'With this system, records can be instantly transferred to new schools,' Garrett said."
Gangs, dropouts fuel city crime
Date CapturedTuesday July 03 2007, 8:20 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle opines, "Reducing crime in the Rochester community is going to take the aggressive targeting of two key problems: the high school dropout rate and the presence of gang activity. The dropout rate is a well-known struggle in the city, but the prevalence of gangs isn't as widely discussed."
Dropout Rates in the United States: 2005
Date CapturedThursday June 28 2007, 9:02 PM
This report builds upon a series of National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reports on high school dropout and completion rates that began in 1988. It presents estimates of rates for 2005, and provides data about trends in dropout and completion rates over the last three decades (1972-2005), including characteristics of dropouts and completers in these years. Among other findings, the report shows that in students living in low-income families were approximately six times more likely to drop out of high school between 2004 and 2005 than of their peers from high-income families. Laird, J., DeBell, M., Kienzl, G., and Chapman, C. (2007). Dropout Rates in the United States: 2005 (NCES 2007- 059). U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved June 28, 2007 from http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch.
Graduation season: Don't forget the dropouts
Date CapturedFriday June 22 2007, 8:29 AM
Ithaca Journal opines, "For those who don't get their high school diploma, the statistics are not promising. Compared with other people their age, the dropout is more likely to end up in prison, divorced, unemployed, living in poverty, unhealthy or receiving public assistance, according to a report on high school dropouts from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The dropout earns about $9,200 less a year than high school graduates. And a study conducted in 2001 found that four out of 10 young adults who did not receive a high school diploma received some type of government assistance. When the Ithaca City School District and the Village at Ithaca published the first Equity Report Card, we were particularly concerned that more than four out of 10 African American, Latino or Native American children who entered ninth grade in 2001 did not graduate in 2005."
State improves tracking of student performance, information
Date CapturedSunday June 03 2007, 10:18 AM
The Journal News reports, "Because every public school and charter school student has been given a unique 10-digit identification number, it is possible to track students as they move from school to school, anywhere in the state. That will help the state develop more accurate graduation and dropout rates. The system, which will be maintained by an outside contractor, also holds the promise of richer analysis of student performance. Musser said it would be possible, for example, to analyze the relationship between a pupil's performance on third-grade tests and his or her achievement in upper grades. Such research will help the state and schools develop education policy and help students who are poor performers in lower grades be able to pass high school Regents exams."
Local schools make radical changes to battle dropout rate
Date CapturedSunday June 03 2007, 10:10 AM
The Journal News reports, "From creating evening and weekend classes to instituting formal programs that allow students five years to graduate, the schools have made radical changes in an effort to boost achievement and keep kids in school. But officials say there are more complex reasons behind this life-changing decision made by too many teens. Often, schools are blamed for a student's choice to leave, but educators say many drop out for myriad reasons, including incarceration, drug abuse, problems at home or other reasons outside the purview of the classroom."
Community School lessens dropout crisis
Date CapturedWednesday May 23 2007, 8:17 AM
Ithaca Journal guest columnist Gerry Friedman, retired as principal of the TST Community School opines, "Everybody knows that 'one size fits all' does not. That is as true in education as in other aspects of our lives. The TST Community School was established as an alternative to a student's regular high school. It is successful because it has a cadre of highly qualified, experienced, outstanding teachers and staff who specialize in working with students who have not been successful in other schools. The cost is reasonable when the aid is considered. The school has been successful for many years. If school districts are to successfully work on reducing their dropout rate, allowing students to attend the Community School should be a major part of the plan."
New Hampshire dropout bill passes House
Date CapturedThursday May 17 2007, 8:48 AM
Concord Monitor reports, "The bill would do more than simply raise the attendance age or require 16- to 18-year-olds to remain in the classroom against their will. An at-risk student 16 or older could leave the traditional school setting if the student worked with a parent or guardian and the school principal and guidance counselor to develop an 'alternative learning plan' as a route to a diploma or GED certificate. The alternative plans could include internships, community service, apprenticeships, online courses or other programming."
National Dropout Prevention Centers
Date CapturedMonday May 14 2007, 7:40 PM
The mission of the National Dropout Prevention Center/Network is to serve as a research center and resource network for practitioners, researchers, and policymakers to reshape school and community environments to meet the needs of youth in at-risk situations so these students receive the quality education and services necessary to succeed academically and graduate from high school.
Officials to revisit truancy program
Date CapturedWednesday May 02 2007, 8:46 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports, "Deputy Mayor Patty Malgieri said Tuesday that city and school officials will begin work next week to retool a truancy program that has struggled in its first year. 'Kids can't learn if they're not in their seats,' she said. Truancy feeds the city's dropout and unemployment rates, officials say, which connect to crime, poverty and other issues."
If you pay 'em, they will come!
Date CapturedWednesday April 25 2007, 10:20 AM
NY Daily News reports on Mayor Bloomberg's trip to Mexico, "The Mexican government says the payments, which were created 10 years ago, have helped lower school dropout rates, boost school attendance and reduce health problems among children."
Los Angeles Unified is counting its truants
Date CapturedWednesday March 21 2007, 10:10 AM
LA Times reports, "Although the Los Angeles Unified School District has ramped up its efforts to keep students in school, a new report shows that thousands are still skipping class routinely, and the problem is rampant in a few low-performing schools. The report is the first in what is intended as a series of monthly accounts that will track truancy and absenteeism in every middle and high school in the district — something that has not been done in such a systematic way before. The information is considered critical because students typically begin skipping school sporadically before dropping out altogether. L.A. Unified is trying to tackle a dropout rate that is officially 24.1% but has been estimated at close to double that."
More States Raise Dropout Age to 18
Date CapturedTuesday March 20 2007, 6:31 PM
Texas dropout rate makes the case for school choice
Date CapturedSaturday March 10 2007, 8:22 AM
Chron.com contributor KEN HOAGLAND, communications director for Texans for School Choice writes, "Everywhere in the nation (and around the world) where school choice exists, public schools rapidly improve. In San Antonio, where a privately funded, $50 million, 10-year program has operated, school choice has helped drive down the public school dropout rate by 25 percent and saw nine-of-10 low-income, school-choice grads (often the first in their families to ever graduate high school) go onto college. School choice helps all, because the effect of parental judgment is positive and the effect of competition is healthy."
Massachusetts Gov. Patrick wants to raise dropout age
Date CapturedTuesday March 06 2007, 8:02 AM
Massachusetts students should no longer be allowed to drop out of school at 16, Governor Deval Patrick said yesterday, endorsing a plan to raise the mandatory school attendance age to 18. Patrick, speaking at a summit in Worcester on high school graduation rates, said he would embrace legislation adopted in at least 15 other states and the District of Columbia that will force teenagers to stay in school longer. Other states -- including New Hampshire, New Mexico, Arizona, and South Dakota -- are also considering raising the age to 18, according to the Education Commission of the States.
New York City Department of Education Attendance Services
Date CapturedMonday March 05 2007, 9:17 PM
The Office of Attendance is responsible for the oversight of attendance policies, procedures and programs for New York City public school students. This includes the development and implementation of attendance guidelines and procedures, provision of on-going technical assistance and support and collaboration with outside agencies and organizations on attendance-related issues. The office also serves as a resource to the community and the public-at-large. In addition, the office is responsible for: Employment Certification; Attendance Improvement and Dropout Prevention (AIDP) Programs; Truancy Prevention Programs (TRACK, PACT); and home schooling.
Tracking students with ID number a key step to lower the dropout rate
Date CapturedSunday February 25 2007, 9:01 AM
AP reports, "Forty-one states have set up or are in the process of establishing a way to track individual students. The National Center for Educational Accountability said Florida is the only state to include all the elements it considers essential for a complete data system that measures where students go. Two years ago, the 50 governors signed a pact agreeing to use a common calculation method, but that, too, has been slow to develop. A bipartisan commission earlier this month submitted a list of 75 recommendations to President Bush and Congress on reforming No Child Left Behind and suggested making a common calculation method mandatory under the law, along with high-quality student tracking systems."
Middle schools called key to anti-dropout strategy
Date CapturedSaturday February 24 2007, 9:58 AM
Staten Island Advance reports, "The summit, coordinated by the City Council's Black, Latino and Asian Caucus and the advocacy group Directions for Our Youth, also focused on the achievement disparity between white and minority students."
The dropout dilemma
Date CapturedSaturday February 24 2007, 9:20 AM
NY Daily News reports, "Advocates at the Baruch College event suggested that increasing the state's compulsory attendance age from 16 to 18 would encourage more students to stay in school, said Cary Goodman, executive director of Directions for Our Youth. Other ideas included additional professional development for teachers who may have difficulty relating to the problems facing city teens."
Could School Vouchers Reduce H.S. Dropout Rate?
Date CapturedSaturday February 24 2007, 8:01 AM
KXAN.com reports, "One group says Texas is in an education crisis. According to School Choice, high school dropouts cost taxpayers $377 million a year."
Poll: Better New York City schools biggest need
Date CapturedWednesday February 21 2007, 4:03 PM
Newsday HERBERT LOWE reports, "New Yorkers are more widely concerned about the city's high school dropout rate than increasing funds to protect the city from terrorism, according to a survey of low-income residents released yesterday. Three out of four New Yorkers favor raising the age when teenagers may drop out of school from 16 to 17 or 18, reports the survey released by the Community Service Society of New York."
Low driving age puts teens' school performance on the skids
Date CapturedSunday December 31 2006, 8:53 AM
Oregonian contributor and teacher Matt Love writes, "So here's one proposal to improve student achievement and lower the dropout rate, and it doesn't cost taxpayers a cent: Raise the driving age to 17. Just one year and no big deal except to low-wage service-sector employers who schedule teenagers to work on school nights. Set up a hardship program for emancipated minors or students in remote rural areas. Grandfather the change in over several years, and today's 12-year-olds wouldn't know the difference. Legislators, it's a 100-word bill you could draft on a napkin."
The smaller the better?
Date CapturedSunday December 31 2006, 8:07 AM
Daily Southtown (Illinois) reports, "A 2006 study from the Consortium on Chicago School Research shows that the creation of small schools has lowered the dropout rate and raised attendance, but it has not improved test scores."
Several Massachusetts schools' dropout rates fall
Date CapturedThursday December 21 2006, 9:40 AM
Boston Globe reports, "Principals and superintendents throughout the area credit dropout prevention efforts -- such as offering night school and alternative schools; matching vulnerable ninth-graders with successful upperclassmen; rewarding students for good attendance; and allowing them to make up courses online -- for their reduced dropout rates."
Washington state Gov. Gregoire's $30 billion budget invests heavily in education
Date CapturedTuesday December 19 2006, 4:48 PM
AP reports, "The $29.94 billion two-year spending plan dips liberally into the state's $1.9 billion budget reserve to spend on public schools and colleges, health care, Puget Sound cleanup, economic development, prisons, parks, pensions, salary increases and other programs. Free full-day kindergarten is proposed for 10 percent of the schools and early learning proposals would be expanded, at a cost of $42 million. A dropout academy is created. "
Can-do in Kalamazoo
Date CapturedMonday December 18 2006, 5:21 AM
LA Times writes, "A year ago, the Michigan town's schools were like those in many other Rust Belt cities, with declining enrollment, low test scores and a high dropout rate. Then anonymous donors announced the Kalamazoo Promise: a four-year scholarship to any of Michigan's public universities or colleges for local public school graduates. The amount of the scholarship is prorated depending on how long the student has lived in the district, but it amounts to at least 65% of tuition."
New Florida task force will tackle rise in high-school-dropout rate
Date CapturedSaturday December 16 2006, 9:16 AM
Orlando Sentinel reports, "Chairing the panel will be the Rev. Ken Scrubbs of First Baptist Church in Leesburg, who has extensive experience working with low-income and troubled youths. 'I think our schools are going to have to be more inviting across the board to all students, so they can be reached at all levels,' Winn said. 'We know that failure in school leads to dropping out.' The task force will meet in North, Central and South Florida during the next three months and then report to the state Legislature. Lawmakers already have moved to make high school more interesting and challenging to teens; they approved a requirement that students choose a major field of study, much as college students do."
Massachusetts schools target dropout rates
Date CapturedMonday December 11 2006, 9:29 AM
Worcester Telegram & Gazette reports, "Mrs. Haskins said that at Southbridge High School, a 'crisis team' — including the district psychologist, social worker, school resource officer, guidance personnel and the school nurse — meets to discuss students who are believed to be at risk of dropping out. The reasons vary with each student, Mrs. Haskins said. An 18-year-old who is still a freshman may consider dropping out because of his age, or family and economic issues can come into play, she said. The intervention begins at home. 'Parents are called every single day a student is absent,' Mrs. Haskins said."
Dropout Rates in the United States: 2004
Date CapturedThursday December 07 2006, 10:17 AM
This report builds upon a series of National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reports on high school dropout and completion rates that began in 1988. It presents estimates of rates for 2004, and provides data about trends in dropout and completion rates over the last three decades (1972–2004), including characteristics of dropouts and completers in these years. Among other findings, the report shows that in students living in low-income families were approximately four times more likely to drop out of high school between 2003 and 2004 than were their peers from high-income families. Focusing on indicators of on-time graduation from public high schools, the averaged freshman graduation rate for the 3 most recent years for which data are available shows an increase from 72.6 percent for 2001–02 to 73.9 percent for 2002–03 to 74.3 percent for 2003–04. Laird, J., DeBell, M., and Chapman, C. (2006). Dropout Rates in the United States: 2004 (NCES 2007-024). U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved December 7, 2006 from http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch.
Montana school officials defend new student ID numbers
Date CapturedWednesday November 29 2006, 9:22 AM
Bozeman Daily Chronicle reports, "Every [Montana] student will get a unique nine-digit number, so that their achievement on statewide reading and math tests can be tracked, and those results can be broken down by gender, race or ethnicity, and whether the student is low-income and qualifies for free and reduced-cost lunches. Special education, limited English and migrant status will also be recorded. That should make it easier for OPI to report on students' progress, information sought both by the Montana Legislature and by the federal government, under the No Child Left Behind Act. Quinlan said it should help schools figure out, for example, if a new reading program is working, how well low-income American Indian fourth-graders are performing, and better track graduation and dropout rates. School officials are still subject to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, which protects the privacy of student records, Quinlan said."
As it collects student data, New Jersey wades past resistance
Date CapturedWednesday November 29 2006, 9:13 AM
Star-Ledger reports, "The new system would mesh information from individual districts into a central clearinghouse so officials can follow students across school and district lines. That would mean better information on developments like dropout rates and more insight into which school programs are working."
Education stats show New York City of wise guys, gals
Date CapturedTuesday November 14 2006, 4:39 AM
NY Daily News reports, "The city Education Department attributed rising graduation and lower dropout rates to an increase in programs devoted to keeping kids in school longer, including the Young Adult Borough Centers, targeting high school students who might be considering dropping out."
Louisiana public schools show improvement
Date CapturedMonday October 23 2006, 2:13 PM
KATC reports, "But dozens of schools in hurricane-damaged areas -- including many of the state's lowest performing schools in Orleans Parish -- weren't included in the results because they were shut down for days and months, in some cases. The results were based on individual student scores on high-stakes tests, attendance rates and dropout rates."
Research says Texas incorrectly reports dropouts
Date CapturedMonday October 23 2006, 8:18 AM
Terrell Tribune reports, "Lawson [director of the Civil Rights Project at Harvard University] emphasized that while Texas has the most accurate system of reporting dropout rates, there is a problem with the quality of the data. 'Texas is a leader as far as reporting,' Lawson said. 'They have the most accurate system in recent years because they identify the student individually and have the capacity to track them, theirs is a the 'gold standard.' Unfortunately, because of the way they manipulate the data, it turns into fool's gold.' Lawson said the problem is that Texas inflates its graduation reports. In the construction of the report, many students go unaccounted for."
El Paso district wants fewer students per school
Date CapturedSunday October 22 2006, 2:52 PM
El Paso Times reports, "A study published by Ohio and Marshal universities concludes that smaller schools tend to have: Lower dropout rates. Better student grade-point averages. Increased student attendance. Decreased failure and retention rates. Higher scores in standardized tests. In El Paso, all three of the schools rated exemplary are considered to be of either small or medium size. "
To curb dropout rate, develop new paths for learning and careers
Date CapturedFriday October 20 2006, 6:46 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle opined, "At least 27 of the nation's 100 top liberal arts schools that scrapped their SAT or ACT requirements have decided that students' high school performances should weigh as heavily as test scores. With this growing realization, educators also need to provide more alternatives to students who may be interested in vocational and technical education."
Experts claim Texas graduation rates inflated
Date CapturedFriday October 06 2006, 8:25 AM
Houston Chronicle reports, "The dropout and graduation rates that Texas reports for black, Hispanic and poor students in urban districts are even further from reality, researchers assert."
New York State Education Department Dropout Prevention Resources
Date CapturedWednesday September 13 2006, 11:50 AM
Using Data To Drive Policy
Date CapturedSunday September 10 2006, 11:24 AM
The School Administrator, Terri Duggan Schwartzbeck writes, "Until more states have the data systems that can truly track student growth and all the factors involved, including courses taken and graduation/dropout information, policymakers in Washington will remain hampered by gaps in the data. How do we ever truly know what students know? That’s the million-dollar question."
Rochester forum looks at troubled students: Duffy, others discuss how to keep kids in school
Date CapturedWednesday August 30 2006, 7:31 AM
The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports, "The forum drew wide-ranging support from educators, community activists, parents and students. Linking the dropout rate to economic development in Rochester, Duffy [Rochester mayor] said economic growth in the city is made difficult without an educated work force in place."
Arizona Gov. Napolitano: Raise school attendance age
Date CapturedWednesday August 23 2006, 9:20 AM
Arizona Daily Star reports, "State Schools Superintendent Tom Horne said altering the dropout age is not the answer. 'My solution to the dropout problem is to persuade kids that they should be in school with things like outside mentoring, peer counseling, flexible hours and career technical education,' Horne said. 'But if you force kids who don't want to be there to be there, they can be disruptive.'"
California student tracking system receives a failing grade: Millions spent, yet state can't calculate dropouts
Date CapturedMonday August 21 2006, 5:20 PM
Union Tribune reports, "California has fallen far behind other large states with sophisticated student tracking systems, such as Texas and Florida, and cannot accurately calculate a basic fact about school performance: the dropout rate."
The Condition of Education in Brief 2006
Date CapturedSunday August 20 2006, 3:46 PM
Report topics covered "include: public and private enrollment in elementary/secondary education; projections of undergraduate enrollment; racial/ethnic distribution of public school students; student achievement from the National Assessment of Educational Progress in reading, mathematics, and science; adult literacy; status dropout rates; immediate transition to college; school violence and safety; educational attainment; parental choice of schools; expenditures for elementary and secondary education, and federal grants and loans to undergraduate students." Livingston, A. (2006). The Condition of Education 2006 in Brief (NCES 2006-072). U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.
Implementing Graduation Counts: State Progress to Date
Date CapturedSunday August 13 2006, 9:52 PM
NGA Issue Brief written by Bridget Curran, Education Division, National Governors Association. (08/07/2006). "In 2005 governors of all 50 states signed the Graduation Counts Compact and made an unprecedented commitment to a common method for calculating each state's high school graduation rate. In addition to agreeing to a common formula for calculating the graduation rate, the governors committed to leading efforts to improve state data collection, reporting, and analysis; reporting additional indicators of outcomes for students; and reporting annually on their progress toward improved high school graduation, completion, and dropout data."
Indiana U to help prep students for a college curriculum
Date CapturedTuesday August 01 2006, 8:47 AM
Journal Gazette reports, "The center will use 'best practices' to help teachers who instruct preschoolers through 12th-grade students. At Decatur Middle School in Indianapolis, teachers and administrators have spent five years working with IU faculty to improve the township’s high school dropout rate."
Tennessee Gov. Bredesen says he would consider 5-year high schools
Date CapturedMonday July 31 2006, 11:09 AM
AP reports, "Gov. Phil Bredesen says creating five-year high school programs that bundle together a diploma with a community college degree could help stem the state's dropout rate."
Let students graduate
Date CapturedMonday July 24 2006, 10:32 PM
USA Today op-ed contributor Monty Neill, executive director of the National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest) writes, "Recent studies reinforce the conclusion that graduation tests increase the dropout rate. The harder the test, the more kids drop out. Across the USA, high-stakes tests push at least 40,000 young men and women out of school each year."
US high school dropout rate: high, but how high?
Date CapturedWednesday June 21 2006, 9:28 AM
Christian Science Monitor
Higher dropout rates revealed
Date CapturedTuesday June 20 2006, 9:31 PM
USA Today
Dropout culture
Date CapturedSunday June 11 2006, 9:54 AM
Dropout Data Raise Questions on 2 Fronts (Washington Post registration)
Date CapturedTuesday May 23 2006, 10:22 AM
see education new york online EDUCATION POLICY link, GRADUATION folder for referenced studies.
Dropout reports highlight the lack of uniform data
Date CapturedThursday April 20 2006, 8:23 AM
Dropout nation?
Date CapturedSunday April 16 2006, 8:06 AM



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