CALIFORNIA

Over the last eight years, California amended its all-encompassing dropout and alternative education statute: Senate Bill 65, originally passed in 1985.  SB 65, the Dropout Prevention and Recovery Act, initiated three efforts which remain at the heart of the state's approach for curbing dropouts: the Alternative Education Outreach Consultant Program, the Educational Clinic Program, and the Pupil Motivation and Maintenance Program.  The first two programs are covered and coded in greater detail in JFF's alternative education policy scan, although they have explicit implications for dropout prevention and recovery. For example, the Educational Clinic Program is a dropout recovery program with an emphasis on reengaging students by providing them with opportunities for credit recovery. 

In 2004, Assembly Bill 825 made changes to the funding of the Pupil Motivation and Maintenance Program, through which the dropout prevention specialists are financially supported. About 350 schools from the state's lowest-performing districts, wherein more than 50 percent of the student population either qualifies for the federal school lunch and breakfast programs or Title I, annually receive $50,000 for dropout specialists. A competitive grant process determined which districts and schools would receive these awards until 2004 when the Pupil Motivation and Maintenance Program was folded into the state's Pupil Retention Block Grant Program. California's Pupil Retention Block Grant Program combines funding for all of the state supplemental supports targeting students who require additional assistance to succeed in school. 

Since 2002, the state has also strengthened its reporting system for accuracy. For example, House Bill 44 defines a dropout as a student between the ages of 13 and 19 and who missed school for 45 days prior to enrolling in a program sponsored by the Education Clinic.  In addition to enhancing its data collection, the state seeks to increase the public's awareness of dropouts. The state superintendent is expected to report to the legislature annually on dropout and graduation rates, to make the same report available to the public, and to accompany the release of the report with publicly accessible data for each school and district beginning in 2011.  The report will be aided by California's plans to report the National Governors Association's graduation rate by the end of 2010.