Educators, politicians, and MTV take aim at US dropout 'epidemic'
A national summit in Washington addresses the issue, hoping to get more students to graduate.
from the May 9, 2007 edition
Page 4 of 4
Some of the strongest advocates for dropout reduction are civil rights groups like the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), which is pushing for a reauthorized version of No Child Left Behind that would hold schools accountable for graduation rates, not just test scores. "To this day, when you say that 50 percent of Latinos don't make it to graduation, people are still surprised by that, and I think it's time we start ... doing something about that data," says Melissa Lazarín, a senior policy analyst at NCLR.
Dire dropout rates, particularly for African-American males, are a focal point for The Black Star Project in Chicago, which promotes mentoring and school improvement nationwide. The group has distributed thousands of "contracts" to students in elementary schools and high schools, featuring stark information about the ramifications of dropping out, such as becoming more likely to go to prison.
"We wanted to put shock value in that contract – we wanted kids to look at this and say 'Wow, if I drop out, this is the life I'm gonna live?' " says executive director Phillip Jackson.
The contract gives students two choices of where to sign: One acknowledges that if they drop out, "the quality of my life and the lives of my loved ones will be dramatically decreased," and the other is an agreement to "do whatever it takes to graduate from high school...."
Top five reasons dropouts cite for leaving school
47% Classes were not interesting
43% Missed too many days and could not catch up
42% Spent time with people who were not interested in school
38% Had too much freedom and not enough rules in my life
35% Was failing in school
Source: The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives of High School Dropouts, a report by Civic Enterprises, 2006
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