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5 Strengthen School Holding Power from pre-kindergarten to college completion, ensuring that every student is valued, graduates from high school with a diploma, and is prepared for college, work and civic engagement. Imagine > But Currently > What must be done > What we can do together

But Currently…

Many children are “lost” and not accounted for, particularly minority and poor children. Across our nation, definitions of who is a “dropout” are neither clear nor consistent. This adds to the general confusion about which children have left school before completing school with a diploma. Schools do not report this information to parents and communities on a regular basis in ways that are timely and understandable. Schools vary in correctly reporting their attrition rates because it negatively impacts their funding. Schools fail to assess and address those “push out” factors in counseling and curriculum and environment that cause students to leave before graduating.

Additionally, systems are not in place that account for and support the success of each child from one grade to another. Transitions are not smooth from preschool to kindergarten, from early elementary to middle school, from middle school to high school, or from high school to two-year colleges or universities. Furthermore, schools do not talk to one another about students transferring from one location or state to another. Systems fail to help students anticipate what is required for success at the next grade or level. For students considering college, information about required courses from middle school through graduation is often not provided to them or their parents in order to plan appropriately for college entry and completion.