This paper examines the effects of school characteristics on both the probability of dropping out and the strongest predictor of dropping out -- absenteeism. The authors employ a sub-sample from the High School and Beyond (HS&B) database which contains results of background questionnaires and standardized achievement tests given in 1980 to…

This article describes the development of early warning indicators for high school and beyond in the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) by the Value-Added Research Center (VARC) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, working in conjunction with staff from the Division of Research and Evaluation at MPS. Our work in MPS builds on prior early warning…

In 2007, Mooresville Graded School District developed a strategic plan to infuse twenty-first-century learning skills into the schools by providing staff and students in grades four through twelve with a laptop computer. In late fall of 2007, Mooresville High School deployed laptops to all certified staff and to the entire student body in the…

In this paper we analyze longitudinal data from a nationally representative panel of college entrants to test and compare several theoretical explanations of college degree attainment and noncompletion. So far, relatively little emphasis has been placed on determining the relative and combined predictive power of competing explanations or…

Noting that the nation is in the midst of a dropout crisis that will cost more than $3 trillion in lost wages over the lifetime of the 12 million students projected to drop out over the next decade, "Prioritizing the Nation's Lowest-Performing High Schools" calls on federal policymakers to perform "legislative triage" by devoting attention to the…

Too many students drop out of school, which results in economic losses and increased crime. The problem is particularly acute for black and Hispanic students. A recent study of more than 130 9th-graders in five California high schools revealed some interesting information: Most of them (three-quarters) said they liked school, and more than 80% saw…

High school dropouts adversely impact the state of Tennessee each year--financially and socially. Dropouts' lower incomes, high unemployment rates, increased need for medical care, and higher propensity for incarceration create a virtual vortex that consumes Tennesseans' tax dollars at a vicious rate. Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent on…

This report analyzes the economic and social costs of the high school dropout problem in Montana from the perspective of a state taxpayer. The majority of the authors' analysis considers the consequences of this problem in terms of labor market, tax revenue, and public service costs. In quantifying these costs, the authors seek to inform public…

This paper calculates the public savings (financial benefits) from greater public investments in the education of African-American males. Over one-fifth of each age cohort of black males in US is not a high school graduate. We identify five interventions that would--based on credible research--increase the graduation rate; we also report the…

This study examined transitional experiences of first-year college students who were homeschooled in high school. It sought to determine if experiences of such students corresponded with Tinto's (1988, 1993) theory of student departure. The qualitative study found that there was little distinction between the transitional experiences of…

Each year, more than 8,200 young Philadelphians drop out of school. The first step to a solution, taken in 2005, was the gathering and examination of data to truly understand the dimensions of the problem and the characteristics of struggling students and out-of-school Philadelphia youth. These studies, conducted by researchers at the University…

The authors outline an agenda for research on the dropout problem, arguing that a comprehensive program of research should include data on student characteristics, school processes, the act of dropping out, and the economic and cognitive consequences of the failure of large numbers of students to complete high school. (MT)

THE STATE'S 15,170 DROPOUTS IN GRADES 8 THROUGH 12 IN 1962-63 REPRESENTED 5 PERCENT OF THE HIGH SCHOOL PUPILS ENROLLED BUT A 0.5 PERCENT DECREASE FROM THE 15,813 DROPOUTS IN 1961-62. AN ANALYSIS OF DATA SHEETS OBTAINED FOR 12,721 DROPOUTS REVEALED--(1) THE LARGEST NUMBER DROPPED OUT AT AGE 16 AND FROM GRADE 8, (2) THE DROPOUT PATTERN SUGGESTED…

Students with disabilities who dropped out of high school (n=60) cited more school factors (lack of academic success, suspension, peer problems) than personal factors (motivation, pregnancy, family problems) influencing dropout. Three-fourths suggested improved communication with teachers, flexible scheduling, and more relevance would decrease…

Dropping out of high school culminates a long-term process of disengagement from school and has profound social and economic consequences for students, their families, and their communities. Students who drop out of high school are more likely to be unemployed, to earn less than those who graduate, to be on public assistance, and to end up in…