Goal Statement

• To maximize the number of students who obtain a high school diploma or its equivalent

Policy Options / Model Programs

• President Bush has been working with congress on additional legislation such as the Teacher Incentive Fund that allows States and school districts to reward teachers who demonstrate results for their students and who make the tough decision to teach in the neediest schools. Bush is also working on a proposed new program to encourage math and science professionals to bring their expertise into the classroom as part-time teachers. The President calls on Congress to fund this program.   
• Many states are implementing programs that will take teenagers licenses from them if they drop out of High School before they turn 18. These states believe if a student drops out looses their licenses then it will motivate them to go back to school. So far it has been working, but unfortunately many students decide to just drop out when they are 18.
• Many states are also adding legislature that increases the age of consent to drop out from 16 to 18. This helps solve the problem in the short run, but many students inevitably still drop out after they turn 18

• The National Educator’s Association has proposed a 12 Dropout Action Steps Program.
• Other ideas to explore:
• Year Round Schools
• Childcare in schools
• Alternative schools/learning
• Afterschool Programming

Local/State/National Information 

• High School Drop-Out Prevention - USA
• High School Drop-Out Prevention - California
• High School Drop-Out Prevention - Monterey Bay, CA
• High School Drop-Out Prevention - North Carolina (not started)
• High School Drop-Out Prevention - Madison County, NC
• High School Drop-Out Prevention - South Carolina
• High School Drop-Out Prevention - Spartanburg, SC
• High School Drop-Out Prevention - New Jersey  

Glossary of Terms

• High School drop out rate: A student that leaves for any reason before graduation without transferring to another secondary school. This is any student who is not accounted for on the 20th day of school. This excludes students who are expelled from school, missing school for a serious illness, or if they have left the country. A student is considered a drop-out, however, if they transfer from a secondary school to an institution of higher education such as a community college.
• Educational Reform
• Educational Legislation and Budget
• No Child Left Behind act
• Elementary and Secondary Education Act
• GED 
• RetentionSocial Promotion
• Socioeconomic
• Charter Schools
• Freedom Schools
• Student Success
• Vouchers

Bibliography

• "Dropout Factories," AP/Johns Hopkins University (There are 22 dropout factories in MA, four are in Springfield. In fact, all four high schools in Springfield have been designated thus. By comparison, there is only one in Boston.) 
• The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives of High School Dropouts — a report on the dropout crisis in American public education.
• On the Front Lines of Schools: Perspectives of Teachers and Principals on the High School Dropout Problem: report that includes the views of teachers and administrators, perspectives.
• A few organizations to contact for more information:
• National Drop-out Prevention Project with Clemson University
• The Annie Casey Foundation - kids count data
• Focus groups - America's Promise