In Schools and Communities
Different schools for different students. Instead of the usual “one¬size fits all” school, districts should develop options for students, including a curriculum that connects what they are learning in the classroom with real life experiences and with work, smaller learning communities with more individualized instruction, and alternative schools that offer specialized programs to stu¬dents at¬risk of dropping out. Teachers should have high expectations for their students and try different approaches to motivate them to learn.

Parent engagement strategies and individual¬ized graduation plans. Schools and teachers should strengthen their communication with par¬ents and work with them to ensure students show up and complete their work and develop graduation plans that are shared with parents.

Early warning systems. Schools need to develop district¬wide (or even state¬wide) early warning systems to help them identify students at risk of failing in school and to develop mechanisms that trigger, and ensure there is follow through on, the appropriate suppor t for the students. One clear step relates to absenteeism. Every day, schools should have a reliable list of the students who failed to attend school and should notify parents or guardians immediately and take appropriate action to ensure students attend school and have the support they need to remain in school.

Additional supports and adult advocates.
Schools need to provide a wide range of supplemental ser vices or intensive assistance strategies for struggling students in schools – literacy programs, attendance monitoring, school and peer counseling, mentoring, tutoring, double class periods, internships, ser vice¬learn¬ing, summer school programs, and more – and provide adult advocates in the school who can help students find the support they need. Schools also need to provide appro¬priate supports to students with special needs, such as pregnant women and students with disabilities, and enhance their coordination with community¬based institutions and government agencies. 
 

In States
A re¬examination of the compulsory school age requirements. Students identified “too much freedom” as a key factor that enabled them to drop out of school, and attendance is a strong predictor of dropping out. States should consider raising the age at which students can legally leave school from 16 or 17 to 18. Together with well¬trained staffs, more manageable caseloads, working par tner¬ships with government agencies, and effor ts to address the underlying conditions that caused students to leave school in the first place, we believe this action could have a significant effect on reducing dropout rates.
nMore accurate data from states and school districts. Schools and communities cannot adequately address the dropout problem without an accurate account of it. There are too many ways to calculate graduation and dropout rates that disguise the problem. The National Governors Association has made good progress in getting all 50 states to agree to a common definition for calculating graduation rates. More work needs to be done to build the data systems that will allow states to collect and publish information on graduation and dropout rates and to monitor progress state by state over time. 

In the Nation
More accurate national data from federal departments and agencies. Just as all 50 states are working to obtain more accurate data to help schools and communities understand the extent of the dropout problem, the federal gov¬ernment should review the Current Population Sur vey and other data it collects to ensure that national data also paints an accurate picture of the problem.

Better incentives under federal law. Low¬per¬forming students need more support in school. Schools should have incentives under the No Child Left Behind law to raise both test scores and graduation rates and to ensure there is a balance between the two so that proper atten¬tion is given to low¬per forming students. If schools are only rewarded for raising test scores, the law could have the unintended effect of giving schools an incentive to “push out” low¬per forming students whose test scores would bring down school averages.

Research on what works and dissemination of best practices. While states and school districts have instituted many dropout prevention programs, there remains a need for federal evalu¬ations of these programs and the sharing of the most innovative and successful programs that can be brought to scale. 

Next Steps
A national conversation and response.
Educators, policymakers and leaders from vari¬ous sectors should make addressing the high school dropout epidemic a top national priority. All avenues to invest leaders in a better under¬standing of the problem and common solutions should be undertaken – including congressional hearings, White House conferences, summits of state and local officials, and public forums in schools and communities. In all cases, the voices of young people who dropped out of high school should be heard.