Keeping at-risk kids in school requires programs, not rhetoric
AP (Boston.com), January 1, 2007

(excerpt) A recent study on high school dropouts funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation found students' reasons for dropping out vary widely. Gifted students drop out because they're bored, while girls often drop out if they get pregnant. Others get tangled in drug use and drinking. One-third say "failing in school" was a major factor.

"For almost all young people, dropping out of high school is not a sudden act, but a gradual process of disengagement," the report concluded. It said most students come to regret the decision.

Five years ago, Franklin High had one of the highest dropout rates in the state, with about 16 percent of students leaving in one year. But a concerted effort and a variety of programs have brought the rate down to about 2 percent.

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