Dropouts

Read more about people who leave school before earning a diploma and schools’ efforts to get all students to graduate
Teacher Dawn Mathis works with student Rylee Humphries, 16, during an after school program at Mountain Education Charter High School in Woodstock, Ga. The Mountain Education Charter High School system has a program that pairs struggling students with adults who have faced similar challenges.
Teacher Dawn Mathis works with student Rylee Humphries, 16, during an after school program at Mountain Education Charter High School in Woodstock, Ga. The Mountain Education Charter High School system has a program that pairs struggling students with adults who have faced similar challenges.
Dustin Chambers for Education Week
Special Report Class of 2021: Digging Out From Under COVID
Graduation rates fell in 31 states in 2021. This package explores the Class of 2021's steep climb to academic recovery.
August 29, 2022
Gerilyn Rodriguez, 18, poses at Miami Carol City Park in Miami Gardens, Fla., on Aug. 19, 2022. After struggling with remote learning during the pandemic and dropping out of school, Rodriguez is now a student at Miami-Dade Acceleration Academies.
Gerilyn Rodriguez, 18, struggled with remote learning during the pandemic and dropped out of high school. A "graduation advocate" persuaded her to enroll in Miami-Dade Acceleration Academies in Miami, Fla.
Josh Ritchie for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness Teenager Balances Family Care, Work, and Credit Recovery on a Path to Graduation
Remote learning didn't start Gerilyn Rodriguez's academic problems, but it accelerated them.
Sarah D. Sparks, August 29, 2022
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3 min read
Nakaya Domina pictured at her home in Las Vegas, Nev., on Aug. 12, 2022. After dropping out of school during the pandemic, she returned to a credit recovery program, where her "graduation candidate advocate" has helped her stay engaged. She expects to graduate this summer, and will then enter a postsecondary program in digital marketing.
Nakaya Domina dropped out of her public high school in Las Vegas in 2019 but managed to graduate this year with the help of a "graduation advocate" and a dropout recovery program.
Bridget Bennett for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness What It Took to Get This Teenager Back on Track to Graduate
Nakaya Domina had been disengaging from school for years before she left Cimarron-Memorial High School in Las Vegas in 2019.
Sarah D. Sparks, August 29, 2022
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3 min read
Blaine Franzel, 17, and his mother, Angel Franzel, pictured at their home in Stuart, Fla., on Aug. 15, 2022. After struggling during remote learning and dropping out of public school, Franzel is now thriving at an alternative school where he is learning about aviation.
Blaine Franzel, 17, and his mother, Angel Franzel, live in Stuart, Fla. After struggling during remote learning and dropping out of public school, Franzel is now thriving at an alternative school where he is learning about aviation.
Josh Ritchie for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness Anxiety and Isolation Kept Him Out of School. How an Alternative Program Helped
After years of worsening anxiety that kept him from school, Blaine Franzel’s prospects for high school graduation are looking up.
Sarah D. Sparks, August 29, 2022
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3 min read
LaTosha Walker knocks on the door of a home where a student lives that has dropped out of school due to attendance records to talk to them about enrollment in Lowcountry Acceleration Academy in North Charleston on Tuesday, August 9, 2022.
LaTosha Walker, an enrollment coach for Lowcountry Acceleration Academy, knocks on the door of the home of a student who dropped out of school in Charleston, S.C.
Henry Taylor for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness 'Graduation Counselors' Go Door-to Door to Find Missing Students
On tree-lined streets and trailer parks, workers knock on doors to offer students a second chance at graduation.
Eesha Pendharkar, August 29, 2022
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6 min read
Teacher Dawn Mathis works with student Rylee Humphries, 16, during an after school program at Mountain Education Charter High School in Woodstock, Ga. The Mountain Education Charter High School system has a program that pairs struggling students with adults who have faced similar challenges.
Teacher Dawn Mathis works with student Rylee Humphries, 16, during an after school program at Mountain Education Charter High School in Woodstock, Ga. The 18-campus school, which serves returning dropouts and other at-risk students, has expanded since the pandemic due to rising student need.
Dustin Chambers for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness Dropouts Now Face a Steeper Climb to Earn a Diploma Post-Pandemic
Recovery programs say they have seen more students, further behind, than in prior years.
Sarah D. Sparks, August 29, 2022
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7 min read
Students are always greeted by Cheryl Rohmer as they check in for the after school program at Mountain Education Charter High School in Woodstock, Ga. The network, like other dropout recovery programs, has expanded during the pandemic due to rising need.
Marcia Oliveira, left, and her son Angelo, 18, talk with a graduation advocate in Charleston, S.C., about how to schedule credit-recovery classes around the new restaurant job Angelo had to pick up during the pandemic to help his family.
Henry Taylor for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness From Our Research Center Plunging Graduation Rates Signal Long Recovery
In the second year of the pandemic, the number of states with falling graduation rates more than doubled.
Sarah D. Sparks, August 29, 2022
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10 min read
Woman sitting at a desk in front of a monitor showing a database of different types of charts.
DigitalVision/Vectors/Getty
Student Achievement With So Many Kids Struggling in School, Experts Call for Revamping 'Early Warning Systems'
A new collaborative says the indicators developed to flag students at risk of not graduating need an update for post-pandemic schools.
Sarah D. Sparks, May 18, 2022
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4 min read
Madeline Negrón, the chief academic officer for the Hartford public schools, (left), and Leslie Torres-Rodriguez, the superintendent, in the Student Success Center at Hartford Public High School on Dec. 20, 2021.
Madeline Negrón, the chief academic officer for the Hartford public schools, left, and Leslie Torres-Rodriguez, the superintendent, launched the Student Success Center at Hartford Public High School to help students get back on track to graduate.
Christopher Capozziello for Education Week
Equity & Diversity Leader To Learn From As Students, They Felt Disconnected. As Leaders, They Champion Equity
The superintendent and chief academic officer in Hartford, Conn., are creating a system that centers the needs of students and families.
Andrew Ujifusa, February 16, 2022
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10 min read
School & District Management Police Shootings Lower Black and Latino Students' Grades, Graduation Rates, Study Shows
A new study shows that police shootings affect the learning and emotional well-being of students in nearby schools, particularly nonwhite students.
Catherine Gewertz, June 10, 2020
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2 min read
Law & Courts Briefly Stated Briefly Stated: Stories You May Have Missed
A collection of news stories from this week.
March 24, 2020
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5 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Millions of Adults Lack Basic Reading Skills Needed for Good Jobs (Video)
In the U.S., millions of adults lack the basic literacy skills needed to sustain employment--yet education programs for this group serve only about 1.5 million, and funding continues to be cut at state and federal levels.
Kavitha Cardoza, June 13, 2019
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3 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Letter to the Editor Graduation Rates Aren't the Whole Story
To the Editor:
As a follow up to a recent article about public charter high school graduation rates: Preparing students to live happy and productive lives is at the heart of our education system ("In Many Charter High Schools, Graduation Odds Are Slim," February 26, 2019). However, graduation rates are overly simplified and not always an accurate reflection of these efforts, especially when it comes to many public charter schools' unique student demographics.
March 20, 2019
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1 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Report Roundup Dropout Prevention
Elementary supports may help keep high school students in school, finds a study in AERA Open.
Madeline Will, October 9, 2018
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1 min read
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