MASSACHUSETTS

The Dropout Prevention and Recovery Commission was enacted by SB 2766 and charged with studying best practices and programs statewide and nationwide for dropout prevention and recovery. The commission’s report was released at a high-profile event in the fall of 2009 by the lieutenant governor, the education secretary, and the commissioner of education. The report presents a comprehensive policy agenda addressing the following issues: raising the compulsory attendance age from 16 to 18; the expansion of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's Early Indicator pilot; identification of effective "back on track" options; and active outreach efforts for recovery of dropouts.

Massachusetts's maximum public school entitlement age is set at 21.