EFFECTIVE DROPOUT PREVENTION & RECOVERY

States Must Keep Off-Track Youth in School and Put Them Back on Track to Postsecondary Success

Intractable as the dropout problem may seem, recognition of its magnitude has created an environment ripe for action. Nationally, 1.2 million students drop out every year, and no state is immune to the crisis. No longer can high schools, the most challenged of which routinely graduate fewer than two-thirds of their students, “go it alone.” Substantially increasing the number of young people who earn a high school diploma and are ready for college will require effective partnerships among states, communities, school districts, and colleges.

Jobs for the Future has identified six policy elements that underpin a holistic state-level policy approach to dropout prevention and recovery. These elements build on the most recent and rigorous research about effective strategies that enable the creation of Back on Track models that reengage young people who have fallen behind or dropped out. Together, they create the right conditions to support the statewide scale-up of these solutions.

The map at the right shows the extent to which state dropout legislation adopted between the passage of federal NCLB legislation in 2002 and December 2009, aligns with the six model policy elements. To ensure the information on this site is accurate and up to date, we invite the public to contact us with feedback.

For more information, read Six Pillars of Effective Dropout Prevention and Recovery: An Assessment of Current State Policy and How to Improve It.