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…

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 policy brief reports on a study of variation in states' school completion rates for students with disabilities and the relationship of school completion to economic, sociodemographic, and educational variables. States' school completion rates were calculated from data maintained by the Department of Education. In addition, state-level special…

This is a report on high school dropouts in the Los Angeles Unified School District during 1979-80. The study covered 110 secondary schools and sought to determine: 1) the frequency and rate of school leaving among tenth, eleventh, and twelfth graders; 2) the characteristics of the leaver; and 3) reasons for leaving school. The data were collected…

A study of a cohort in the school district of Saginaw, Michigan was begun in Fall 1986. The primary aim of the study was to follow the students from the time they entered high school until they left, either by graduation, transferal, or termination. The specific cohort in the study was the 1986-87 sophomore class scheduled to be the graduating…

The Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS) developed a Dropout Retrieval Project with the following aims: (1) to identify and retrieve the dropout students aged 16 to 21; (2) to bring the students back to educational programs which would lead to the completion of their education; and (3) to develop plans to prevent future dropouts. This report…

This study of dropout statistics in West Virginia in school year 1984-85 presents the data in the form of graphs. Each graph is followed by a one sentence conclusion and a question or questions about the dropout problem. Topics and questions covered are as follows: (1) was the dropout involved in Educational Consolidation Improvement Act (ECIA) or…

This document provides statistical data about dropouts and graduates of the Iowa public schools, presented in the form of tables and graphs. Much of the data is presented in enrollment categories based on size of the school population and merged areas. These tables and graphs are included: (1) fiscal 1987 secondary school dropout rates by…

This report presents the number and percentage of students dropping out of and completing public school for the 2000-2001 school year. Information came from the Common Core of Data (CCD) surveys, which provide basic data on public K-12 institutions, students, and staff. A total of 45 states reported dropouts using the CCD definition. The 9th-12th…

This report is the 13th in a series that focuses on high school dropout and completion rates, presenting data on 2000 rates and including time series data on high school dropout and completion rates for 1972-00. In addition to extending time series data reported in earlier years, this report examines the characteristics of high school dropouts and…

In the Wake County, North Carolina, Public School System, there was a duplicated total of 1,230 students who dropped out of school. Of these, 4 were in grades K-6, and the rest were in grades 7-12. These students were first-time dropouts or had dropped out in previous years (duplicated dropouts). There had been a steady decline in the dropout rate…

This publication provides statistical data about dropouts and graduates of the Iowa public schools for the year 1988, presented in the form of tables and graphs. These tables and graphs are included: (1) fiscal 1988 secondary school dropout rate compared by state enrollment categories and merged areas; (2) dropouts compared by gender for state…

San Diego City Schools completed a study to determine: (1) the number of school leavers (dropouts) from district schools during 1982-83 for grades 9 through 12; (2) characteristics associated with school leaving; (3) overall rates of attrition; and (4) attrition rates for students with certain characteristics. The study was intended to update and…

This study aimed to describe the following: (1) how many dropouts attempt to change the course of their lives by returning to complete their diploma requirements; (2) what kinds of dropouts return; and (3) how the subsequent activities of this group differ from those of dropouts who remained out of school. Those groups shown by previous research…