Dropouts explained (sort of)

Today's Times story about a report on California dropouts has some readers wondering: How can schools report dropout rates that are so out of touch with reality? The example given in the story is L.A.'s Fremont High, with a dropout rate of 9% (and a senior class about one-fourth the size of its freshman class), but it could have been almost any large urban school in California.

In fact, the report includes some California schools that declare a zero dropout rate, yet mysteriously have far fewer seniors than freshmen. Where did they go? Spring break in Cabo? Part of the problem is the way the state defines a dropout. The full definition is here, but one key factor is that it excludes any student who "has transferred to and is attending another public or private educational institution leading toward a high school diploma or its equivalent."

The problem is that, at the moment, the state has no way of tracking whether students who say they're transferring to another school actually show up. This should change next year, with the rollout of a new statewide tracking system. But for now, School A can say a student is transferring to School B, without following up to make sure that happens. Like magic, the student disappears -- and doesn't get counted as a dropout anywhere. For more about this, read The Times' 2006 series The Vanishing Class.

--Mitchell Landsberg

Comments

[Amanda Sena]

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[David]

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[Schimpff]

This means the dropout rate is actually much higher than is being reported.

[Ariana Aguilera]

I think the LAUSD should enforce their rules about students attendance and the changing of schools. Hopefully they do succeed next year in tracking students who change schools but don't show up to their "new" school.

Its very shocking to know that the dropout rate has been increasing. There should be more motivators/counselors out there to guide students who are looking to dropping out, this way they can help them stay in school.

And like this article says, seems like the students are vanishing. I wouldn't like to have my school or any other school have a very small graduating class.

I also think that students shouldn't look at dropping out as the last resort, in other words they shouldn't even consider dropping out. Students should keep themselves, and other students motivated.