The number of high school age students who do not complete high
school is a serious challenge facing our educational system. The very
scope of the problem--and the economic consequences for those who stop
their education in high school or at graduation--calls attention to the
need to become more systemic and more intentional in addressing the
needs of this group of young people. The Dropout Crisis describes
current practice in both prevention and recovery, highlighting
promising approaches that can help reduce stubbornly high dropout
rates. It concludes with recommendations for state policymakers seeking
to promote a more systemic approach to the dropout crisis: count
dropouts accurately in accountability measures; provide adequate
financing for programming that meets the needs of dropouts; and make
connections to postsecondary education, particularly community colleges.
