Chapter 12

The economics of high school dropouts

Russell W. Rumberger      Gevirtz Graduate School of Education, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, United States

Abstract

One of the major educational challenges in the United States is ensuring that all students graduate from high school. This article reviews research evidence on four facets of this issue: (1) the magnitude of the problem and trends over time; (2) the economic and social consequences of dropping out; (3) the causes of the problem, including individual factors and institutional factors associated with families, schools, and communities; and (4) solutions to the problem, ranging from smaller-scale programmatic solutions to larger-school systemic solutions.

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