Tuesday | May 1, 2007
The reliability of the data on high school dropout and graduation rates and the best way to calculate them have recently become the subject of intense debate, often generating more heat than light.
What are the hidden assumptions and implications behind the dueling methodologies? What can we say with some certainty about how many students leave school prior to graduation, when, and why? And, more importantly, what do we really know about the policies and programs that are most effective in preventing dropouts and promoting school success?
Speakers:
Robert Balfanz, Research Scientist, Center for Social Organization of Schools, John’s Hopkins University;
Mark Dynarski, Senior Fellow, Associate Director of Research, and Director of the Education Area at Mathematica Policy Research; Principal Investigator for Dropout Prevention, What Works Clearinghouse
Moderator: Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers; Albert Shanker Institute