Dropping Out: Why Students Drop Out of High School and What Can Be Done About It

Russell W. Rumberger

Published by Harvard University Press 2012

Dropping Out

Why Students Drop Out of High School and What Can Be Done About It

Russell W. Rumberger

https://doi.org/10.4159/harvard.9780674063167

Overview
Contents

About this book

The vast majority of kids in the developed world finish high school—but not in the United States. More than a million kids drop out every year, around 7,000 a day, and the numbers are rising. Dropping Out offers a comprehensive overview by one of the country’s leading experts, and provides answers to fundamental questions: Who drops out, and why? What happens to them when they do? How can we prevent at-risk kids from short-circuiting their futures?

Students start disengaging long before they get to high school, and the consequences are severe—not just for individuals but for the larger society and economy. Dropouts never catch up with high school graduates on any measure. They are less likely to find work at all, and more likely to live in poverty, commit crimes, and suffer health problems. Even life expectancy for dropouts is shorter by seven years than for those who earn a diploma.

Rumberger advocates targeting the most vulnerable students as far back as the early elementary grades. And he levels sharp criticism at the conventional definition of success as readiness for college. He argues that high schools must offer all students what they need to succeed in the workplace and independent adult life. A more flexible and practical definition of achievement—one in which a high school education does not simply qualify you for more school—can make school make sense to young people. And maybe keep them there.

Author / Editor information

Rumberger Russell W. :

Russell W. Rumberger is Professor of Education at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Vice Provost for Education Partnerships at the University of California Office of the President.

Topics

Frontmatter Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	i
CONTENTS Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	vii
Acknowledgments Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	xi
1 Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
2 The Varying Requirements and Pathways for Completing High School Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	20
3 The Nature and Extent of the Dropout Crisis Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	47
4 The Individual Consequences of Dropping Out Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	86
5 The Social Consequences of Dropping Out Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	130
6 Understanding Why Students Drop Out Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	143
7 Predictors of Dropping Out Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	159
8 Learning from Past Efforts to Solve the Dropout Crisis Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	207
9 What Should Be Done to Solve the Dropout Crisis Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	255
NOTES. INDEX
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	279
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	371

Language: English
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Audience: General/trade;
Pages
- Main content: 400
Illustrations
- Other: 10 line illustrations, 10 tables

eBook

Published: November 29, 2011
ISBN: 9780674063167