BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  ACR 134
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          Date of Hearing:   April 19, 2012

                             ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON RULES
                                Nancy Skinner, Chair
                   ACR 134 (Hueso) - As Introduced:  March 20, 2012
           
          SUBJECT  :   Dropout Recovery Week.

           SUMMARY  :   Declares the week of June 4 to June 10, inclusive, 
          2012, to be Dropout Recovery Week, and would state the 
          Legislature's intent to encourage the support of dropout 
          recovery high schools with creative teaching strategies, 
          alternative assessments, and adequate resources.  Specifically, 
           this resolution  makes the following legislative findings:

          1)Current research suggests that fewer than 70 percent of 9th 
            grade students in California graduate from high school; and, 
            in some school districts, the number is below 50 percent.

          2)Research conducted by the Alliance for Excellent Education 
            suggests that if only one-half of the dropouts were recovered 
            in California's six largest metropolitan areas, the economic 
            benefits would be astounding; and, the recovered dropouts 
            would invest an additional $394 million per year, increase 
            home sales by $4.5 billion during their careers, support an 
            additional 8,700 jobs, and increase state and local tax 
            revenues by $167 million annually.

          3)Dropout recovery high schools exist in California and utilize 
            multiple strategies to overcome the challenges facing students 
            who decide to reengage in school such as performing below 
            grade level, behavior difficulties, absenteeism and stressful 
            life circumstances. The schools do so by including 
            state-of-the-art technology, career technical education, 
            competency-based instruction rather than seat time-based 
            instruction and open entry and exit enrollment.

          4)Research demonstrates that reengaging these students will 
            allow them to demonstrate higher civic engagement and 
            contribute to the cultural strength of their communities; and, 
            California's population will benefit as the unemployment level 
            will be significantly less, as well as the number of people on 
            public assistance or those arrested for violent crime.

           FISCAL EFFECT  :   None.








                                                                  ACR 134
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           REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION  :   

           Support 
           
          None on file.

           Opposition 
           
          None on file.
           
          Analysis Prepared by  :    Nicole Willis / RLS. / (916) 319-2800