No Magic Bullets, but Some Dropout Prevention Options
By Bob Oakes
WBUR
April 7, 2009
Over the course of the Project Dropout series, WBUR has looked at why some students leave school, how the problem affects the state and some examples of successful dropout prevention programs.Here’s a small sampling of some of the voices we’ve heard:
I dropped out in middle school. I did seventh grade three times. My parents never enforced school. They never cared about my grades.
The fact that the dropout rate is not increasing is not by itself something to celebrate and we do need to do better.
This dropout issues is multifaceted. By the time a kid enters your classroom there’s whole bunch of issues that are stacked up on each other.
That’s 21-year-old former student Kendra Barlow from New Bedford, State Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester and Boston high-school teacher William Hayes.
Close to 100 Massachusetts students drop out of school every day.
As the conclusion to our series on the dropout problem, WBUR looks at what state officials hope to do about that alarming statistic.
To talk about possible policy solutions, WBUR spoke to Jill Norton, executive director of the Rennie Center for Education Research and Policy; and Tony Pierantozzi, superintendent of Somerville Public Schools and a member of the state’s dropout prevention commission.
Click here to listen to the program.
