4 Troubled Teens Blog

Researchers with academic organizations in Massachusetts and Illinois have determined that the United States is in the throes of a "dropout crisis" that requires national attention. A May 5 article on the CNN website reported that the problem is particularly profound among male and minority students:

In 2007, 16 percent of U.S. residents between 16 and 24 years old were high school dropouts, said the report by the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, and the Alternative Schools Network in Chicago, Illinois. Among the dropouts, 60.1 percent were men, 30.1 percent were Latino and 18.8 percent were black.

"Because of the widespread, pressing nature of the crisis and the large numbers of young people who have already dropped out, a national re-enrollment strategy should be a fundamental part of America's national education agenda," the report says.

Experts estimate that an average high school dropout can expect to earn between $400,000 and $500,000 less than an average graduate will over the course of their working lives (between the ages of 18 and 64).

Labels: dropouts, education, high_school

Posted By: Aspen/CRC