Resources
For Educators: A Call to Action
- The solution begins with knowing your school district's true, on-time graduation rate. Because inaccurate graduation rates have historically masked the magnitude of the problem, this new knowledge is a wake-up call for many communities.
Accurate accounts of students who dropout and students who successfully complete the coursework requirements are helping communities to marshal concrete steps that can be taken at the local, state and federal levels to ensure that all students graduate from high school prepared for college and work.- Learn about the 10-point plan released at the May 9th national "Summit on America's Silent Epidemic." More than 100 organizations that represent a full range of educator and community stakeholders with disparate political stripes support these 10 action steps to reduce dropouts.
- Offer support services to young people and their families, especially youth at risk of failure or dropping out (and those who have already dropped out). Young people need a variety of resources to succeed academically. Some examples of programs that help to link young people with community resources include Communities in Schools and Jobs for America's Graduates.
- Structure schools to provide students with a personalized educational experience. Promising approaches to dropout prevention include:
- Smaller learning environments that foster relationships;
- Connecting students to mentors and other caring adults who help reduce absenteeism and dropout rates and increase school connectedness; and
- Curricula that connect academic rigor to student interests.
- Develop and implement literacy plans to improve the reading and writing skills of secondary school students.
- Create early-warning systems to identify students at risk of dropping out.
- Provide all students, especially those at risk of dropping out, with Personal Graduation Plans and connect them with support needed to graduate.
- Consider the action steps included in this new resource: What Urban School Districts Can Do to Prevent Dropouts.
- Visit the Gates Foundation Web site for information on improving high schools.
- Learn about local, state and federal policies that support students' staying in school to prepare for successful futures.
- Join the Strong American Schools campaign to galvanize the public to demand change and real leadership on education.
