The Dropout Crisis: Promising Approaches in Prevention and Recovery

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.