Education
Solving California's Dropout Crisis
Data collected during the 2005-06 school year suggest that only about two-thirds of California students graduate on time, with more than 170,000 dropping out or failing to graduate. A new report from the California Dropout Research Project at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Solving California's Dropout Crisis (24 pages, PDF), argues that family background is the most powerful predictor of student achievement in school. The report also offers several recommendations designed to improve the situation, including modifying and improving the state's accountability and data collection systems and building the capacity of schools and districts to address the problem. CDRP is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates, James Irvine, William and Flora Hewlett, and Walter S. Johnson foundations.
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