ACR 96, as introduced, Weber. Dropout Recovery Month.
This measure would declare the month of August 2015 as Dropout Recovery Month, and would state that the Legislature intends to encourage the support of dropout recovery high schools with creative teaching strategies, alternative accountability metrics, and adequate resources.
Fiscal committee: no.
P1 1WHEREAS, The 2013 and 2014 Building a Grad Nation reports
2found that the nation cannot achieve its graduation goals without
3increasing California’s graduation rate for Latino and African
4American pupils; and
5WHEREAS, The America’s Promise Alliance found, in 2014,
6that pupils drop out of high school because they are overwhelmed
7by the effects of toxic living conditions such as homelessness,
8violent surroundings, abuse or neglect, and catastrophic family
9health events; and
10WHEREAS, The California Dropout Research Project found,
11in 2008, that approximately 20 percent of the variability in dropout
12rates can be attributed to key characteristics in schools, including
13the resources, policies, and practices at schoolsites; and
P2 1WHEREAS, Research by the Alliance for Excellent Education
2concludes that if only one-half of the dropouts from a single year
3were to earn a diploma, the economic benefits to California would
4include an additional $1.4 billion in earnings annually for the
5reengaged pupils and an annual increase in state and local tax
6revenues of $167 million; and
7WHEREAS, Research further shows that reengaged learners
8demonstrate higher levels of civic engagement, contribute to the
9cultural strength of their communities, and are significantly less
10likely to be unemployed, on public assistance, or arrested for a
11violent crime; and
12WHEREAS, Research by WestEd demonstrates the challenges
13faced by schools seeking to reengage dropouts in that one-half of
14the dropouts who return to school stay for one year or less,
15one-third of returning dropouts fail to complete even one course
16after they reenroll, and as few as 18 percent of returning dropouts
17graduate; and
18WHEREAS, Successful dropout recovery high schools in
19California are operating under Section 47612.1 of the Education
20Code in partnership with federal Workforce Innovation and
21Opportunity Act organizations, the California Conservation Corps,
22and other federal and state career technical education partners to
23provide significant social, economic, and academic benefits for
24their pupils and for California’s population as a whole; and
25WHEREAS, Research calls for alternative strategies and
26accountability metrics for demonstrating the success of dropout
27recovery programs, including accelerated learning pedagogies,
28competency-based instruction, inclusion of noncognitive indicators,
29and alternative graduation rate cohorts; and
30WHEREAS, These successful dropout recovery high schools
31attract and retain high-quality staff committed to transforming
32their pupils from being at risk of failure to being at promise of
33success; now, therefore, be it
34Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
35thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby declares the month
36of August 2015 as Dropout Recovery Month, in honor of the
37schools and staff who work to reengage pupils who have previously
38dropped out of school, and in honor of the pupils who overcome
39significant personal challenges to reengage in high school and
P3 1become transformed learners in preparation for college and a future
2career; and be it further
3Resolved, That the Legislature intends to encourage the support
4of dropout recovery high schools with creative teaching strategies,
5alternative accountability metrics, and adequate resources; and be
6it further
7Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
8of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
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