For years, we have considered school dropout rates as a problem occurring at the high-school level. However, this is actually an issue that originates and develops in elementary school. In Do Children Drop Out of School in Kindergarten? Gregory Hickman and Randy Heinrich show how high school dropouts in many ways drop out of school long before they reach high school. Using a comprehensive systems approach, Hickman and Heinrich argue that our policy makers, educators, parents, and community members need to scrutinize our education system, moving past fixing short-term symptoms to engaging core, long-term problems for deep, effective change. For real change to take place, our national agenda needs to address the dropout problem at the elementary level, long before kids enter high school.

This book describes the fifteen strategies identified through research reviewed by The National Dropout Prevention Center and Network at Clemson University. Each chapter in this book was written by a nationally recognized authority in that field. Research has shown that these 15 strategies have been successfully implemented in all school levels from K - 12 in rural, suburban, and urban centers; as stand-alone programs or as part of systemic school improvement plans. Helping Students Graduate: A Strategic Approach to Dropout Prevention also covers No Child Left Behind and its effects on dropout rates; Dealing with Hispanic dropouts; Differences and similarities between rural and urban dropouts. These fifteen strategies have been adopted by the U.S. Department of Education. They are applicable to all students, including students with disabilities.

This book presents the latest evidence from Young Lives, a unique international study of children and poverty. It shows how the persistence of inequality amid general economic growth is leaving some extremely poor children behind, despite the promises of the Millennium Development Goals.

This book offers a comprehensive overview of ‘out of school’ ethnic minority young people in Hong Kong. The focus is on the extent of the phenomena, reasons behind it and a description of ‘out of school’ life. Employing qualitative research methods and adopting a case study approach that involved fieldwork comprising 15 in-depth interviews and 2 observations with 11 ‘out of school’ ethnic minority young people, this book provides detailed insights into the phenomena. Information gained from an additional 22 in-depth interviews with 20 other stakeholders related to ethnic minority education, from time spent at three schools and key document analysis are also incorporated. Drawing on critical race theory, this book presents a critical discussion of the ‘out of school’ issue for ethnic minority young people in a privileged Chinese context.