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I S S U E S& AN SWER S
U . S . D e p a r t m e n t o f E d u c a t i o n
Reenrollmentof high schooldropouts in alarge, urbanschool district
R E L 2 0 0 8 N o . 0 5 6
At WestEd
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Reenrollment of high school dropoutsin a large, urban school district
July 2008
Prepared by
BethAnn BerlinerWestEd
Vanessa X. BarratWestEd
Anthony B. FongWestEd
Paul B. ShirkSan Bernardino City Unifed School District
I S S U E S&ANSWERS R E L 2 0 0 8 N o . 0 5 6
U . S . D e p a r t m e n t o f E d u c a t i o n
At WestEd
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Issues & Answers is an ongoing series o reports rom short-term Fast Response Projects conducted by the regional educa-
tional laboratories on current education issues o importance at local, state, and regional levels. Fast Response Project topicschange to reect new issues, as identied through lab outreach and requests or assistance rom policymakers and educa-
tors at state and local levels and rom communities, businesses, parents, amilies, and youth. All Issues & Answers reports
meet Institute o Education Sciences standards or scientically valid research.
July 2008
Tis report was prepared or the Institute o Education Sciences (IES) under Contract ED-06-CO-0014 by Regional Edu-
cational Laboratory West administered by WestEd. Te content o the publication does not necessarily reect the views or
policies o IES or the U.S. Department o Education nor does mention o trade names, commercial products, or organiza-
tions imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
Tis report is in the public domain. While permission to reprint this publication is not necessary, it should be cited as:
Berliner, B., Barrat, V.X., Fong, A.B., and Shirk, P.B. (2008). Reenrollment o high school dropouts in a large, urban school
district(Issues & Answers Report, REL 2008No. 056). Washington, DC: U.S. Department o Education, Institute o Educa-
tion Sciences, National Center or Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Regional Educational Laboratory West.
Retrieved rom http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs
Tis report is available on the regional educational laboratory web site at http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs.
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ii i
Summary
This study ollows a cohort o frst-time
9th graders in one large urban school
district rom 2001/02 to 2005/06 and
documents their dropout, reenrollment,
and graduation rates. For the one-third
o dropouts who reenrolled in the district
over that period, it reports course credit
accrual and graduation outcomes as well
as students reasons or dropping out and
the challenges districts ace with their
reenrollment.
In 2005/06 an estimated 1.2 million U.S.
students did not complete high school with
their classmates (National High School Center2007; Pinkus 2006). While public attention
and an extensive research literature ocus on
the dropout problem evident in that gure,
much less is known about the number and
characteristics o students who drop out and
then reenroll.
Tis study ollows a cohort o rst-time 9th
graders over ve years (2001/022005/06) in
San Bernardino City Unied School District todescribe the magnitude o its dropout problem
and the numbers, characteristics, and gradu-
ation outcomes o the students who dropped
out and subsequently reenrolled in the district.
It documents issues related to the reenroll-
ment o dropouts and what district staf and
reenrollees say about policies and practices to
improve graduation outcomes or dropouts
who return to school. By ocusing on reenroll-
ees, this study contributes to shaping policy
that addresses the broader dropout challenge.
In 2001/02 there were 3,856 rst-time grade 9students enrolled in San Bernardino City Uni-
ed School District high schools. By 2005/06,
45 percent o standard graduates had earned
regular high school diplomas, 35 percent
had dropped out at least once during the ve
years, and 20 percent had transerred to other
schools and their outcomes are unknown.
Dropping out o high school is not necessarily
a permanent outcome. Among the dropouts,31.0 percent eventually reenrolled in a San
Bernardino City Unied School District high
school during the ve years o the study, and
18.4 percent o these reenrollees graduated
rom a district high school by 2005/06.
Tis study reports on the personal and
academic reasons why students dropped out
and reenrolled in high school. In interviews
reenrollees reported on both push andpull actors that motivated their dropout and
return to school. Te dropout literature de-
scribes school experiences that push students
out o school beore graduationacademic
struggles, boredom, and limited ways to make
up ailed course creditsor lie circum-
stances that pull them in directions that stall
Reenrollment of high school dropouts
in a large, urban school district
REL 2008No. 056
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Summary
District contacts also explained that the poor
attendance o reenrolleesand the likelihood
that they will drop out againmade it di-
cult to meet specic testing, graduation, and
other accountability requirements. Given these
challenges, district administrators, principals,
and reenrollees presented their suggestions or
improving graduation outcomes or dropouts
who reenroll in district high schools.
Tis study o one district oers ndings on
which uture research can build. Findings
about the magnitude o the dropout problem
and the numbers, characteristics, and gradu-
ation outcomes o reenrolled students could
change as the results o additional longitudinal
research on dropouts and reenrollees become
available.
J 2008
Note
Continuation schools, public alternative1.
schools or students ages 1618, oer a more
exible schedule than traditional high schools
or students who have allen behind, allowing
them to make up ailed credits and earn ad-
ditional credits toward graduation at a quicker
pace.
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vi
Table of conTenTs
Why this study? 1
What is the magnitude o reenrollment? 4
What are the characteristics o reenrollees? 4Both push and pull actors inuenced decisions to drop out o school 5Both push and pull actors inuenced reenrollees to return to school 6Te majority o reenrollees had dropped out in the rst year o high school 6More than hal o reenrollees returned to school or only one year 7Some reenrollees returned to school multiple times 8Reenrollees returned mainly to their schools o origin 8Grade 9 and Black student dropouts reenrolled at higher rates than did other student subgroups 8
What are the academic and graduation outcomes or reenrollees? 10Reenrollees ared better than permanent dropouts at course completion and credit accumulation beore the
rst dropout event 10One-third o reenrollees ailed to complete even one course afer reenrollment 11Most reenrollees did not earn enough credits to graduate 11Nearly one-fh o reenrollees graduated rom high school 12
What issues did the district conront regarding reenrollmento dropouts? 13Early intervention concerns 14Capacity concerns 14Funding concerns 15Accountability concerns 15
What do district staf and students suggest or changes in policies and practices? 16
Policies 17Practices 17
Suggestions or urther research 17
Appendix A Methodology 19
Appendix B Tables with details on census characteristics 23
Appendix C Interview protocols 28
Notes 31
Reerences 33
Box 1 Study data and methodology 3
Figures
1 Student trajectories in San Bernardino City Unied School District high schools, 2001/022005/06 5
2 Number o San Bernardino City Unied School District dropouts and reenrollees, by year o rst dropoutevent, 2001/022005/06 7
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3 Number o years students in the San Bernardino City Unied School District remain reenrolled, by schoolyear o their rst dropout event, 2001/022004/05 7
4 Reenrollment rates by key student characteristics or San Bernardino City Unied School Districtreenrollees, 2001/022005/06 (percent) 9
5 Average percentage o courses ailed by San Bernardino City Unied School District student dropouts, bygrade o rst dropout event, 2001/022005/06 10
6 Average number o course credits accumulated by San Bernardino City Unied School District studentdropouts, by grade o rst dropout event, 2001/022005/06 11
7 Average number o course credits accumulated by San Bernardino City Unied School District studentdropouts beore and aer reenrollment 12
8 Rates o nal high school outcomes or reenrollees, by grade o rst dropout event 13
Tables
1 Number and percentage o students who dropped out o a San Bernardino City Unied School District highschool one or more times, 2001/022005/06 5
2 Number and percentage o dropouts who reenrolled in the San Bernardino City Unied School District one ormore times, 2001/022005/06 8
3 Course completion by San Bernardino City Unied School District reenrollees, 2001/022005/06 12
4 Number and percentage o nal high school outcomes or reenrollees in San Bernardino City Unied SchoolDistrict, 2001/022005/06 13
B1 Number and percentage o students in the 2001/02 grade 9 San Bernardino City Unied School District highschool cohort classied as standard graduates, dropouts, and others, 2001/022005/06 23
B2 Cohort characteristics and dropout rate by characteristic or the 2001/02 San Bernardino City Unied SchoolDistrict grade 9 high school cohort, 2001/022005/06 24
B3 Dropout characteristics by reenrollment status and reenrollment rate by characteristic or the 2001/02 SanBernardino City Unied School District grade 9 high school cohort, 2001/022005/06 25
B4 Percentage o classes ailed beore the rst dropout event, or the 2001/02 San Bernardino City UniedSchool District grade 9 high school cohort, by grade o rst dropout, 2001/022005/06 26
B5 Credits accumulated beore the rst dropout event, or the 2001/02 San Bernardino City Unied SchoolDistrict grade 9 high school cohort, by grade o rst dropout, 2001/022005/06 26
B6 Synthesis o eld notes based on interviews with San Bernardino City Unied School District administrators,high school principals, and reenrollees 27
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Why this study? 1
T t ollow
a coort o frt-
tme 9t graern one large rban
cool trct rom
2001/02 to 2005/06
an ocment
ter ropot,
reenrollment, an
graaton rate.
For te one-tr o
te ropot wo
reenrolle n te
trct over tatpero, t report
core cret accral
an graaton
otcome a well a
tent reaon
or roppng ot
an te callenge
trct ace wt
ter reenrollment.
Why This sTudy?
In 2005/06 an estimated 1.2 million American
students did not complete high school with their
classmates (National High School Center 2007;
Pinkus 2006). While there has been considerablerecent research (or example, Oreld 2004) on
this national education crisis, much less is known
about the number and characteristics o those
students who drop out and then reenroll but ace
nearly impenetrable barriers to graduation. Tis
study ocuses on reenrollees in one o Caliornias
largest school districtsthe San Bernardino City
Unied School District. It combines secondary
analyses o student demographic, enrollment, and
course history data with interviews o reenroll-
ees and district staf to reveal the magnitude othe dropout problem and the characteristics and
graduation outcomes o the dropouts who re-
enrolled in district high schools between 2001/02
and 2005/06.
Caliornias graduation rate mirrors the national
rate. According to the most recent National Center
or Education Statistics data available, the aver-
aged reshman graduation rate o public high
school students in 2003/04 was 73.9 percent in
Caliornia and 75.0 percent nationwide (Lairdet al. 2007).1 In Caliornia low graduation rates
are especially troubling among American Indian
students (49.7 percent), Black students (55.3 per-
cent), and Hispanic students (57.0 percent). In
many urban districts, including San Bernardino,
these groups have a less than 50 percent chance
o graduating (De Cos 2005).2 Low graduation
and high dropout rates are under intense public
scrutiny in school districts like San Bernardino.
Educators and policymakers are seeking efective
strategies to keep more students in high schooluntil graduation.
Te extensive literature on dropouts has ocused
largely on calculating dropout and graduation
rates, predicting high school ailure and dropout,
and evaluating prevention programs. Critical
inormation gaps still exist (Oreld 2004). As the
Wayman studies (2002, 2001) report, there is little
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2 reenrollment o high School dropoutS in a large, urban School diStrict
research on returning dropouts, their rate o on-
time diploma attainment, and the challenges dis-
tricts ace when student dropouts return to school.
Data limitations largely account or this inorma-
tion gap and restrict longitudinal investigations
o individual students as they entered and exitedschools. A urther complication was tracking
reenrollees as they transerred between schools,
districts, and even education systems, including
adult education and community colleges.
Currently, there is no national or Caliornia ac-
counting o the number o dropouts who reenroll
in high school in either their
district o origin (where they
dropped out) or another district.
Some studies on returning drop-outs estimate reenrollment and
graduation rates based on retro-
spective survey data. For instance,
Ekstrom et al. (1987), using the
High School and Beyond dataset
or 198082, ound that 17 per-
cent o their sample returned to
an education institution. Chuang
(1997), using the National Longi-
tudinal Survey o Youth dataset,
estimates that nearly 50 percento the dropouts in the sample or
197986 reenrolled by 1986. Using the National
Education Longitudinal Study dataset, Hurst,
Kelly, and Princiotta (2004) report that 40 per-
cent o dropouts earned a high school diploma or
alternative certicate within eight years o their
cohorts expected graduation year.
Assessing the magnitude o reenrollment and the
characteristics o students who vanish rom and
then reenroll in the education pipeline will providecritical inormation to policymakers about how
well schools rst retain students and then gradu-
ate them aer they return. A more complete and
accurate description o reenrollees is needed to
shape policies and practices that enable students to
reenroll and improve their graduation outcomes.
Tis is a top priority or Caliornias education
leaders as evidenced by a ocus on increasing
graduation rates in the current reorm agendas o
the governor, the chie state school ofcer, and the
states P-16 council.
By examining reenrollees, this study better en-
ables policymakers and educators to discuss thedropout problem. It describes the 2001/02 grade
9 cohort in San Bernardino City Unied School
District by tracking student dropout, reenroll-
ment, and graduation over ve years, adding the
increasingly common h year to the conven-
tional on-time our-year graduation time rame.3
San Bernardino City Unied School District, in
Southern Caliornias Inland Empire, is the states
seventh largest school district, with about 59,000
students (Caliornia Department o Education
2007a). As a convenience sample, it provides alarge, urban, high poverty, and racially diverse
setting or exploratory research and is similar in
these attributes to other unied school districts
in the state, such as Los Angeles, Long Beach, and
Oakland (Caliornia Department o Education
2007b). Moreover, it is subject to the same state
policies that govern all other Caliornia districts.
Tis study creates an initial prole o the students
who dropped out o a San Bernardino City Uni-
ed School District high school and subsequentlyreenrolled in one o the districts ve traditional
or two continuation high schools rom 2001/02
through 2005/06.4 It is an exploratory analysis o
the magnitude and characteristics o dropouts
who reenrolled in the district and contrasts key
academic outcomes o reenrollees and students
who dropped out without reenrolling during the
ve-year study period. In addition, it documents
the issues this district conronted in reenrolling
students who missed weeks, months, and even
years o schooling. Finally, this study o one dis-trict oers ndings on which uture research can
build. Box 1 and appendix A provide details on the
study data and methodology.
Five research questions guided the study o
reenrollment o dropouts in the San Bernardino
City Unied School District between 2001/02 and
2005/06:
t
rtr
t t
rtrt
rt w rr
s brr ct
uf s dtrt
trt
t
r tt
w r t wtt
r r t
-r t r
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Why thiS Study? 3
box 1
Study data and methodology
Study data
Tis report describes the dropout
events, reenrollment, and graduation
outcomes o the cohort o students
who were rst-time 9th graders in
San Bernardino City Unied School
District in 2001/02. Data were col-
lected on the magnitude, character-
istics, and outcomes o reenrollees
rom a district dataset with linked,
longitudinal student-level data or
2001/02 through 2005/06. Te dataset
contains student demographic,
enrollment, and course data on all
district high school students.
In addition, interviews were con-
ducted with seven district adminis-
trators, high school principals rom
the districts ve traditional and two
continuation high schools, and six
dropouts currently reenrolled in di-
erent district high schools (table B6
in appendix B provides a summary).
Te interviewees explained why
students dropped out and reenrolled
and described the challenges re-
enrollees present to high schools and
the district.
Cohort selection
Researchers constructed a census
rom the San Bernardino City Unied
School District dataset to ollow a co-
hort o students through high school.
Tere were 5,674 students enrolled in
district public high schools in grade
9 during the 2001/02 school year. Te
dataset was restricted to students
who entered grade 9 or the rst time
in 2001/02. Second-time 9th grad-
ers (students who were enrolled in
grade 9 the previous year but had not
advanced to grade 10) were dropped
rom the dataset. Students younger
than 13 or older than 17 on Septem-
ber 1, 2001, the year they entered
high school, were also dropped rom
the dataset (41 students) so that
the analysis would examine only
students o typical high school age
and, presumably, behavior. Te nal
sample consisted o 3,856 rst-time
9th graders.
Data analysis
Te dataset provided inormation
on dropout events, enrollment, and
graduation outcomes or students an-
nually between 2001/02 and 2005/06
(see appendix A or more details). Te
researchers used exit status codes to
classiy the 2001/02 grade 9 cohort
into three broad categories: standard
graduates, dropouts, and others or
each year o the study (see table B1 in
appendix B). Students were classied
based on the exit code o their rst
interruption o continuous enroll-
ment in the district.
Standard graduates are students
who earn a regular high school
diploma rom a San Bernardino
City Unied School District high
school in our or ve years with-
out any interruption in enroll-
ment (through dropout event,
transer to another district, or
expulsion).
Dropouts are students whose
rst withdrawal rom a district
high school between 2001/02 and
2005/06 met one o three criteria:
withdrew beore graduating and
not in an education program
leading to a diploma, stopped
attending school and cannot be
located, or transerred to another
school district without hav-
ing their transcript sent to the
receiving district and are not in
an education program that led to
a high school diploma. Te drop-
out category includes students
who reenroll at least one time
in San Bernardino City Unied
School District high schools be-
tween 2001/02 and 2005/06 aer
dropping out (table B3 in appen-
dix B provides reenrollment rates
by key characteristics).
Others are primarily students
who transerred to other school
districts between 2001/02 and
2005/06 (see table B1 in appendix
B), and there is no way to know
the outcomes or these students
since the district lacks complete
inormation on their education
histories. Tis category also
includes students who were
expelled, died, earned alterna-
tive high school completion
certicates beore dropping out
or graduating, or who remained
enrolled in a district high school
or the ve years o the study
without dropping out or gradu-
ating and were still enrolled in
2005/06.1
Te cohort graduation rate was
computed by dividing the number o
students rom the cohort o rst-time
9th graders continuously enrolled in
the district rom 2001/02 to 2005/06
who graduated within the study
time rame by the total number o
rst-time 9th graders in the district.
(continued)
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4 reenrollment o high School dropoutS in a large, urban School diStrict
What is the magnitude o reenrollment?
What are the characteristics o reenrollees?
What are the academic and graduation out-
comes or reenrollees?
What issues did the district conront regard-
ing reenrollment o dropouts?
What do district sta and students suggest
about changes in policies and practices?
WhaT is The magniTude o ReenRollmenT?
In 2001/02 there were 3,856 rst-time grade 9
students enrolled in San Bernardino City Uni-
ed School District high schools. Five years later
1,735 o these students (45.0 percent) had beencontinuously enrolled in district high schools and
had earned regular high school diplomas (gure
1).5 But or 1,352 students, more than a third o
this grade 9 cohort (35.1 percent),6 high school
was interrupted by at least one dropout event.
Dropping out o high school was not necessarily
a permanent outcome, however (Wayman 2001;
Chuang 1997). O the students who dropped out,
419 (31.0 percent) eventually reenrolled in a San
Bernardino City Unied School District high
school, and 77 (5.7 percent) earned a high school
diploma rom the district within ve years.
Dropping out was not a xed outcome or some
students (table 1). While most o the cohorts
1,352 student dropouts (81.2 percent) experienced
a single dropout event, nearly one in ve o thedistricts dropouts (18.8 percent) dropped out
multiple (24) times. In interviews one district
reenrollee mentioned dropping out at least three
times beore this time, and another related drop-
ping out so many times I orget how many. Tese
students repeatedly dropped out and reenrolled
beore eventually graduating or dropping out as
their nal high school outcome.
WhaT aRe The chaRacTeRisTicso ReenRollees?
District enrollment data provide general de-
scriptive inormation about the characteristics
o reenrollees and allow or a comparison o
reenrollment rates by key background charac-
teristics. Te dropout literature and interviews
with San Bernardino City Unied School District
Students categorized as other and
students graduating in the district
aer dropping out and reenrollingwere not included in the numera-
tor. Dropout rates were computed by
dividing the number o students rom
the cohort o rst-time 9th graders in
the district who dropped out at least
once during the ve-year study time
rame by the total number o rst-
time 9th graders in the district (see
table B2 in appendix B). Students cat-
egorized as other were not included
in the numerator.
Demographic inormation in the dis-
trict dataset was used to compute re-
enrollment and dropout rates by gen-der, race/ethnicity, English language
learner status, low socioeconomic
status, age entering grade 9, and
suspensions. Course data were used
to report on course ailure and course
credit accumulation.
Because the entire population was
included in the analysis, no statisti-
cal tests were computed. Appen-
dix B tables B4 and B5 report the
number o students in each category
or categorical variables, averages,
standard deviations, and quartilesor the percentage o courses ailed
and the number o course credits
accumulated.
Note
Students in the others category were1.
not included in the analysis because
they did not meet the study denitions
o standard graduates or dropouts
or because San Bernardino City Unied
School District lacked their complete
enrollment data.
box 1 (continued)
Study data and methodology
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What are the characteriSticS o reenrolleeS? 5
administrators, high school principals, and
reenrollees oer explanations about why students
drop out and reenroll.
Both push and pull actors inuenced
decisions to drop out o school
Te reasons students drop out o high school tend
to be complex. Research shows that dropping out
is less a singular event than a gradual process o
disengagement rom school that encompasses
years o academic and behavioral difculties,
absenteeism, and stressul lie circumstances
(Rumberger 2004; Lehr et al. 2004).
Te dropout literature describes school experi-
ences that push students out o school beore
graduation or lie circumstances that pull them
in directions that stall completion (Bridgeland,
DiIulio, and Morison 2006; Jordan, McPartland,
and Lara 1999). San Bernardino City Unied
School District reenrollees reported academic
struggles and the need or more help to master
Ninth grade cohort
3,856
Dropouts
1,352
Others
769
Permanent dropouts
933
Reenrollees who became
permanent dropouts
and others342
Reenrollee
graduates
77
Standard graduates
1,735
San Bernardino City
Unified School District
high school diploma
1,812
No San Bernardino City
Unified School District
high school diploma
2,044
Reenrollees
419
igure 1
stt trjtr s brr ct uf s dtrt , 2001/022005/06
Source: Authors analysis based on San Bernardino City Unifed School District, Department o Research/Systems Analysis, enrollment data or the 2001/02
grade 9 high school cohort, personal communication, June 14, 2007.
Table 1
nr rt tt w r
t s brr ct uf s dtrt
r r t, 2001/022005/06
n
vs
Ss
n p
o 1,098 81.2
tw 216 16.0
t 32 2.4
6 0.4
t 1,352 100
Source: Authors analysis based on San Bernardino City Unifed School
District, Department o Research/Systems Analysis, enrollment data
or the 2001/02 grade 9 high school cohort, personal communication,
June 14, 2007.
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6 reenrollment o high School dropoutS in a large, urban School diStrict
grade-level content (6 o 6 respondents), bore-
dom (2 o 6), and limited ways to make up ailed
courses and credits (6 o 6) as experiences that
pushed them to drop out. Tey believed that
meeting course requirements to graduate was out
o their reach. I ailed courses and was behind incredits, explained one dropout who reenrolled in
a continuation school, and too much piled up, so
I gave up.
Meanwhile, amily crises such as homelessness
and alcohol and drug use, atigue rom physically
demanding jobs, pregnancy and parenting, gang
pressures, and violence in the community were
personal challenges that pulled them away rom
school. One reenrollee explained that lie stresses
made me miss school and told o experiencingdepression aer a gang-related shooting that killed
a childhood riend, caring or a terminally ill
mother and three younger nephews, and working
long hours to support himsel and the extended
amily. Without exception, reenrollees reported
mental health issues that impeded their ability
to attend school regularly
anxiety, depression, and a sense
o hopelessness that can take
you nowhere ar. Hal o them
also mentioned that their parentsand other relatives were not high
school graduates. Low expecta-
tions about earning a diploma
and the perceived limited value
o a diploma in the labor market
were common experiences in their
amilies and peer groups.
Both push and pull actors inuenced
reenrollees to return to school
Te district had no records documenting why
dropouts reenrolled in school. Interviews with
reenrollees revealed a ew key turning points. Te
primary reason to return to school, according to
all interviewed reenrollees, was their ailure to
secure employment. Without a diploma dropouts
were pushed out o the labor market. Wanting
a better uture and realizing that a high school
diploma was the minimum credential needed to
earn a subsistence income were critical. I looked
or work and realized I needed a diploma, so I
came back, explained a grade 12 dropout who
returned or a h year o high school. Reenrollees
knew o other dropouts whose lives they describedas dead-ended, given their struggles to nd
employment.
All reenrollees interviewed also acknowledged
the persuasive power o caring and persistent
school sta. Principals, teachers, sports coaches,
and counselors pulled dropouts back to high
school by oering to immediately reenroll them
in school and by providing counseling and aca-
demic assistance once they returned. Te school
welcomed me back and reenrollment was easyand happened the same day I returned were
common sentiments among reenrollees (5 o 6
respondents).
Reenrollees and principals considered the
reenrollment o dropouts to traditional high
schools as straightorward and routine (8 o 13
respondents), with schools immediately enroll-
ing students in courses arranged or by school
counselors upon receipt o district documents.
Te reenrollment process was the same incontinuation schools as in traditional schools,
but oen involved a waiting period since enroll-
ments at these schools were at ull capacity. For
reenrollees involved in the juvenile justice and
child welare systems reenrollment and regular
attendance were a mandated probation provision
or eligibility condition or their parents to receive
public assistance.
The majority o reenrollees had dropped
out in the frst year o high school
In 2001/02, the year the grade 9 cohort entered
high school, there were 391 rst-time dropouts
(gure 2). Over the ve years covered by the study,
250 (63.9 percent) o these student dropouts
eventually reenrolled in the district at least once.
In 2005/06, the cohorts h year o high school,
there were 144 rst-time dropouts.7
2001/02, t r
r 9 rt
tr ,
r wr 391 frt-
rt; 250
63.9 rt) t
t rr
trt t t
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What are the characteristics of reenrollees? 7
Te declining reenrollment o dropouts rom the
rst to the fh year o high school shows that the
reenrollees were mainly students who dropped
out in the early years o high school (see gure 2).O the 419 dropouts who reenrolled in the district
over the ve years, almost 60 percent dropped out
or the rst time in 2001/02.
According to all six reenrollees interviewed, both
push and pull actors contributed to the declining
rate o reenrollment. Interviewees mentioned the
mounting pressures o credit deciencies build-
ing over time and the need to earn an income. In
addition, students ages 18 and older who trans-
erred rom the K12 system to the adult educa-tion system could not be tracked as reenrollees
in this study. Te cohort ollowed in the study is
composed o rst-time 9th graders in 2001/02 and
is thereore quite homogeneous in age. More than
85 percent were 14-year-olds in the rst year o
high school (see table B2 in appendix B), and all
students who dropped out in 2004/05 or 2005/06
were ages 18 and older. In interviews older
students explained that dropouts who returned
to high school at age 17 or 18, especially those
with severe credit deciencies, were routinely
sent to the districts adult education school since
they were aging out o the public school system.
However, one fh-year reenrollee told o return-ing rst to a charter school and then to an adult
education school to recover lost credits but o
eventually reenrolling in a traditional high school,
despite turning 18, because I wanted a high
school diploma not an equivalency degree.
More than hal o reenrollees returned
to school or only one year
O the 250 reenrollees who had dropped out
during their rst year in a San Bernardino CityUnied School District high school, slightly under
hal (47.2 percent) reenrolled or one year or less
(gure 3). Te rate was similar (42.9 percent) or
the 91 reenrollees who had dropped out in their
second year. Tis pattern suggests that or many
0
100
200
300
400
500
2005/062004/052003/042002/032001/02
Number of students Reenrollment rate (percent)
School year of first dropout event
144
282254
112
141
19
59
91
250
Permanent dropoutsReenrollees
0
20
40
60
80
100
figure 2
Number o San Bernardino City Unifed School
District dropouts and reenrollees, by year o frst
dropout event, 2001/022005/06
Source: Authors analysis based on San Bernardino City Unifed School
District, Department o Research/Systems Analysis, enrollment data
or the 2001/02 grade 9 high school cohort, personal communication,
June 14, 2007.
0
100
200
300
2004/052003/042002/032001/02
Reenrollees
School year of first dropout event
Reenroll for more than one yearReenroll for one year only
2
752
132
17
52
39
118
figure 3
Number o years students in the San Bernardino
City Unifed School District remain reenrolled,
by school year o their frst dropout event,
2001/022004/05
Source: Authors analysis based on San Bernardino City Unifed School
District, Department o Research/Systems Analysis, enrollment data
or the 2001/02 grade 9 high school cohort, personal communication,
June 14, 2007.
8/14/2019 Dropouts Returning to High School Face Issue
16/42
8 reenrollment o high School dropoutS in a large, urban School diStrict
dropouts reenrollment resulted in
other dropout events shortly ol-
lowing their return to school.
O the 59 students who dropped
out in their third year and the 19who dropped out in their ourth
year, much higher percentages
(88.1 percent and 89.5 percent)
reenrolled or one year or less. In
interviews reenrollees again mentioned some age-
related obstacles that also contributed to limiting
the length o reenrollment or older students. Fam-
ily circumstances, such as the need to earn income
and care or younger, inrm, and elderly amily
members were cited by all reenrollees interviewed,
and hal cited encouragement rom the districtto transer to the adult education school. All told
how eelings o hopelessness aected their length
o reenrollment, mainly about how graduation
remained out o reach when ailed course credits
were not quickly made up. A h-year senior at
a traditional high school added that while there
is no stigma to coming back, there is also no sup-
port or older dropouts returning to school.
Some reenrollees returned to school multiple times
While most reenrollees returned to high school
just once (84.5 percent), or some students drop-
ping out and reenrolling were each impermanent
conditions (table 2). During the ve years o the
study 15.5 percent o reenrollees reenrolled two
(14.1 percent) or three (1.4 percent) times. Speci-
cally, 65 students in the cohort dropped out at
least twice and reenrolled in the district multiple
timesrepeatedly dropping out and reenrolling ina district school beore either graduating or drop-
ping out again.
Reenrollees returned mainly to their schools o origin
Te 419 reenrollees in this study had a total o
490 reenrollments, a combination o one-time
and multiple reenrollment events. In nearly
three-quarters o reenrollments (71.8 percent)
reenrollees returned to the school rom which they
rst dropped out. In 138 instances (28.2 percent)dropouts reenrolled at a dierent school.
Grade 9 and Black student dropouts reenrolled at
higher rates than did other student subgroups
Most dropouts le school or the rst time in
grade 9 (see table B3 in appendix B), and nearly
hal o these dropouts (49.4 percent) eventu-
ally reenrolled in high school (gure 4). Tis
rate includes students who did not earn enough
credits in their rst year o high school to bepromoted to grade 10, and who repeated grade 9
beore dropping out. Reenrollment rates declined
among dropouts with each successive grade, rom
21.8 percent in grade 10 and 16.4 percent in grade
11, to the lowest reenrollment rate o 2.2 percent
in grade 12, reecting the results ound in the re-
enrollment rates by the year o rst dropout event
(see gure 2).
Te reenrollment rates by race/ethnicity show
considerable variability. Hispanic, Black, andWhite students are the predominant races/
ethnicities in the study cohort (see table B2 in
appendix B). Black student dropouts had the
highest reenrollment rate, with slightly under hal
returning to high school ollowing a dropout event
(43.4 percent). American Indians, a small cohort o
students (41 students and 16 dropouts), reenrolled
at a 37.5 percent rate. Among Hispanic student
table 2
nr rt rt w
rr t s brr ct uf
s dtrt r r t, 2001/022005/06
n
s
rs
n po 354 84.5
tw 59 14.1
t 6 1.4
t 419 100.0
Source: Authors analysis based on San Bernardino City Unifed School
District, Department o Research/Systems Analysis, enrollment data
or the 2001/02 grade 9 high school cohort, personal communication,
June 14, 2007.
Rrt rt
rt wt
r, r
1.8 rt r
0 16.4 rt
r 11, t 2.2 rt
r 12
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What are the characteriSticS o reenrolleeS? 9
dropouts, 27.9 percent reenrolled in the district at
some point during the study period. Te reenroll-
ment rate or White student dropouts is nearly the
same as that or Hispanic students (27.8 percent).Asian student dropouts had the lowest reenroll-
ment rate, at 13.3 percent.
Tese reenrollment rates by race/ethnicity dier
rom the dropout rates or the two largest eth-
nic groups in the San Bernardino City Unied
School District, Hispanic and Black students (see
table B2). While Hispanic students had a higher
dropout rate (39.0 percent) than Black students
(33.3 percent), they had a lower reenrollment rate
(27.9 percent or Hispanic students and 43.4 per-
cent or Black students). Tese patterns reect the
greater propensity o Hispanic students to drop
out and not reenroll in San Bernardino City Uni-ed School District high schools compared with
other races/ethnicities. It also identies a dierent
pattern or Black student dropouts, who reen-
rolled in greater numbers than students o other
races/ethnicities.
In the study cohort male students were less likely
than emale students to graduate rom high
school. Tey are more likely to drop out (39.5 per-
cent compared with 30.7 percent; see table B2) and
less likely to reenroll (28.1 percent compared with34.7 percent).
Te age o the study cohort was homogeneous,
with more than 85 percent o the rst-time 9th
graders 14-years-old in September 2001 (see table
B2 in appendix B). Dropouts who entered grade
9 when they were older than age 14 had a lower
rate o reenrollment than those who started high
school at 14. In interviews reenrollees mentioned
that older dropouts encounter age-related chal-
lenges to returning to school. Students who areolder than age 14 when they start high school en-
counter these obstacles earlier than their younger
classmates.
In the study cohort English language learner
students in the San Bernardino City Unied
School District in 2001/02 were also at greater
risk o not completing their high school educa-
tion. Tey dropped out at a higher rate (43.3 per-
cent) than other students (32.5 percent; see table
B2 in appendix B) and reenrolled at a lower rate.Dropouts who were English language learner
students had a 25.6 percent reenrollment rate,
whereas dropouts not classied as English
language learner students had a 33.7 percent
reenrollment rate (see gure 4).
Reenrollment rates showed less variability by
suspension and low socioeconomic status than
0 10 20 30 40 50
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
16 and older
15 years old
14 and younger
Male
Female
Asian
White
Hispanic
American Indian
Black
Grade 12
Grade 11
Grade 10
Grade 9
Low socioeconomicstatusa
Suspended beforefirst dropping out
English languagelearner studentin 2001/02
Age in2001/02
Gender
Race/ethnicity
Grade levelat firstdropout
28.8
31.3
30.5
31.6
33.7
25.6
11.8
23.7
32.8
28.1
34.7
13.3
27.8
27.9
37.5
43.4
2.2
16.4
21.8
49.4
Reenrollment rateamong cohortdropouts (31.0%)
Reenrollment rate (percent)
igure 4
Rrt rt k tt rtrt
r s brr ct uf s dtrt
rr, 2001/022005/06 (rt)
Note: Reenrollment rates by student characteristics are calculated by
dividing the number o San Bernardino City Unifed School District high
school students who reenrolled in the district between 2001/02 and
2005/06 ater dropping out by the total number o dropouts or eachcharacteristic.
a. District classifes students as low socioeconomic status based on
qualifcation or the ree or reduced-price lunch program.
Source: Authors analysis based on San Bernardino City Unifed School
District, Department o Research/Systems Analysis, enrollment data
or the 2001/02 grade 9 high school cohort, personal communication,
June 14, 2007.
8/14/2019 Dropouts Returning to High School Face Issue
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10 reenrollment o high School dropoutS in a large, urban School diStrict
by the other characteristics analyzed, staying
close to the overall 31.0 percent reenrollment
rate o the study cohort (see gure 4). Reenroll-
ment rates were 30.5 percent or students who
had been suspended at least once beore their
rst dropout event and 31.6 percent or stu-dents who were not suspended beore their rst
dropout event. Similarly, reenrollment rates
were 31.3 percent or dropouts classied by the
district as low socioeconomic status (based on
their qualication or the ree or reduced-price
lunch program) and 28.8 percent or dropouts
not classied as low socioeconomic status. Both
the presence o a suspension and low socioeco-
nomic status are linked to higher dropout rates,
however (see table B2).8
WhaT aRe The academic and gRaduaTion
ouTcomes oR ReenRollees?
A recent study on statewidedropout rates or
Caliornia in 2002 concludes that course ailure
and the inability to keep up with schoolwork are
the primary reasons 10th graders d ropped out
(Rotermund 2007).his section
examines the course ailure rate
and course credit accumulationo San Bernardino City Uniied
School District high school stu-
dents beore their irst dropout
event, comparing outcomes
among dropouts who reenrolled
and those who did not return to
school. It also assesses how well
reenrollees ared at accumulat-
ing course credits ater they
returned to school and, ulti-
mately, at earning a high schooldiploma.
Reenrollees ared better than permanent
dropouts at course completion and credit
accumulation beore the frst dropout event
Te course ailure rate among all dropouts in the
study cohort is substantial (gure 5). For example,
among students who dropped out or the rst time
in grade 9, reenrollees ailed an estimated average
o 45.3 percent o their courses beore droppingout, whereas dropouts who did not return to dis-
trict high schools ailed an average o 60.4 percent
o their courses. Similarly, rst-time dropouts in
grade 10 who eventually reenrolled ailed 30.2 per-
cent o their high school courses beore dropping
out, while grade 10 permanent dropouts ailed
42.2 percent o their courses.
At the time o the dropout event students who
later reenrolled in the district within the ve-year
study time rame had ailed a lower average per-centage o courses than permanent dropouts. Tis
pattern remained consistent or all dropouts, rom
students dropping out or the rst time in grade 9
to those who reached grade 12 beore dropping out
or the rst time.
Also evident or both reenrollees and or students
who dropped out and did not return to school
0
25
50
75
Grade 12Grade 11Grade 10Grade 9
Percent of courses failed
Grade of first dropout event
Permanent dropoutsReenrollees
21.4%
30.5%
42.2%
60.4%
15.2%
23.5%
30.2%
45.3%
igure 5
ar rt r s
brr ct uf s dtrt tt
rt, r frt rt t,
2001/022005/06
Source: Authors analysis based on San Bernardino City Unifed School
District, Department o Research/Systems Analysis, enrollment data
or the 2001/02 grade 9 high school cohort, personal communication,
June 14, 2007.
a tt w
r t r t
frt t r 9,
r
tt r
45.3 rt
r r r
r t, wr
rt w
t rtr t trt
r 60.4 rt
tr r
8/14/2019 Dropouts Returning to High School Face Issue
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What are the academic and gr aduation ou tcomeS or reenrolleeS? 11
was a declining trend in the percentage o course
ailures as students dropped out or the rst timelater in their high school years. Te rate o course
ailure beore dropping out was 45.3 percent
or reenrollees who rst dropped out in grade
9 and decl ined to 15.2 percent or students who
rst dropped out in grade 12. For permanent
dropouts within the study time rame the rate o
course ailure beore dropping out was 60.4 per-
cent or those whose rst dropout event was in
grade 9 and declined to 21.4 percent or those
who reached grade 12 beore their rst dropout
event.
Related to this nding are the results or the aver-
age number o course credits accumulated beore
dropping out, by grade level and reenrollment sta-
tus (gure 6). Among students who dropped out o
a district high school or the rst time in grade 9,
those who eventually reenrolled in a district high
school had accumulated an average o 33 credits
at the time o the dropout event50 are needed
to advance to grade 10. Permanent dropouts
had accumulated only hal the required credits
at the time o the dropout event. All reenrollees
interviewed conrmed that credit deciency in
academic courses is a common reason studentsdrop out o school.
Te expected pattern o credit accumulation or a
our-year, on-time graduation requires students to
earn 50 credits in grade 9 and 60 credits each year
thereaer in appropriate courses, accumulating
230 course credits to graduate.
At the time o the rst dropout event students
who later reenrolled in the district had accumu-
lated more course credits than students who haddropped out and ailed to reenroll. Tis pattern re-
mained consistent across all grade levels. In grade
12 permanent dropouts were short an average
o 30 credits o meeting the districts graduation
requirement at the time they dropped out and did
not reenroll in a district high school.
One-third o reenrollees ailed to complete
even one course ater reenrollment
For nearly a third (32.0 percent) o reenrolleesthe data show no course credit or grade inor-
mation aer reenrollment, even though they
completed courses beore dropping out, imply-
ing that they reenrolled or too brie a period
to complete even one course (table 3). Most
reenrollees (61.6 percent) earned grades by
completing some courses both beore and aer
the reenrolling.
Most reenrollees did not earn enough credits to graduate
Reenrollees in the San Bernardino City Unied
School District who earned credits beore and
aer their rst dropout event had accumulated
an average o 38 credits at the time o their rst
dropout event and accumulated an average o 52
additional credits during their reenrollment in the
district (gure 7). Tus, even aer students who
did not complete at least one course are excluded,
0
50
100
150
200
250
Grade 12Grade 11Grade 10Grade 9
Course credits
Grade of first dropout event
Permanent dropoutsReenrollees
200
139
84
25
220
152
99
33
230
170
110
50
igure 6
ar r r rt t
s brr ct uf s dtrt
tt rt, r frt rt t,
2001/022005/06
Note: The horizontal lines and the numbers above them indicate the
credit requirements to advance to next grade.
Source: Authors analysis based on San Bernardino City Unifed School
District, Department o Research/Systems Analysis, enrollment data
or the 2001/02 grade 9 high school cohort, personal communication,
June 14, 2007.
8/14/2019 Dropouts Returning to High School Face Issue
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12 reenrollment o high School dropoutS in a large, urban School diStrict
reenrollees in grades 911 did not accumulate
enough credits on average aer returning to
school to earn the minimum 230 credits required
or a high school diploma.
On average, reenrollees who dropped out earlier
in high school accumulated ewer credits overtheir high school years in the San Bernardino City
Unied School District than did reenrollees who
rst dropped out in the later high school years.
Reenrollees accumulated an average o 90 credits
beore and aer reenrollment i they rst dropped
out in grade 9, 175 i they rst dropped out in
grade 10, 198 i they rst dropped out in grade 11,
and 257 i they rst dropped out in grade 12 (see
gure 7). And i the credits were not earned in ap-
propriate academic courses, students can still not
graduate rom high school even with more thanthe required 230 course credits.
Nearly one-fth o reenrollees graduated rom high school
While most reenrollees in the San Bernardino City
Unied School District during 2001/022005/06
did not earn the credits required to graduate, some
did (see gure 7). O the 419 district reenrollees
77 (18.4 percent) obtained a high school diploma
within our or ve years (table 4). Among the rest,
more than hal dropped out beore graduating
(54.2 percent), more than a h (21.0 percent)transerred to another district, and there were still
22 (5.3 percent) reenrollees rom the 2001/02 grade
9 cohort enrolled in district high schools who had
neither ofcially graduated nor dropped out aer
ve years.
For the 18.4 percent o reenrollees who earned
a high school diploma rom the district within
our or ve years the graduation rate was higher
or students who dropped out later in their high
school years (gure 8). Only 9.5 percent o the 295grade 9 reenrollees graduated rom a San Ber-
nardino City Unied School District high school
during 2001/022005/06, whereas 35.4 percent
o the 79 grade 10 reenrollees, 45.2 percent o the
42 grade 11 reenrollees, and 66.7 percent o the 3
grade 12 reenrollees did. (able B3 in appendix B
shows the number o students by nal high school
outcomes or each grade.)
0
100
200
300
Grade 12Grade 11Grade 10Grade 9
Course credits
Grade of first dropout event
230 credits required for a high school diploma
90
totalcredits
175
totalcredits
198
totalcredits
257
totalcredits
After reenrollingBefore dropping out
37
220
40
158
68
107
52
38
igure 7
ar r r rt t
s brr ct uf s dtrt
tt rt r tr rrt
Source: Authors analysis based on San Bernardino City Unifed School
District, Department o Research/Systems Analysis, enrollment data
or the 2001/02 grade 9 high school cohort, personal communication,
June 14, 2007.
table 3
cr t s brr ct uf
s dtrt rr, 2001/022005/06
cs
rs
n p
css
258 61.6
css
134 32.0
css
15 3.6
n ss
12 2.9
t 419 100.0
Note: Determinations o course completion are based on available data
on course credit and grades in the San Bernardino City Unifed School
District database.
Source: Authors analysis based on San Bernardino City Unifed School
District, Department o Research/Systems Analysis, enrollment data
or the 2001/02 grade 9 high school cohort, personal communication,
June 14, 2007.
8/14/2019 Dropouts Returning to High School Face Issue
21/42
What iSSueS did the diStrict conront regarding reenrollment o dropoutS? 13
WhaT issues did The disTRicT
conRonT RegaRding ReenRollmenT
o dRopouTs?
With a cohort dropout rate o 35 percent or the
San Bernardino City Unied School Districts
high school class o 2005/06, one district leader,
expressing sentiments shared by all the others
interviewed, described conronting a tough
dropout problem deeply rooted in community
poverty and the personal struggles students
ace. Part o the districts answer to improve
graduation rates and lower dropout rates was
to nd ways or dropouts to return to high
school and then to provide the needed supports
or them to graduate. While a ll district leaders
viewed reenrolling dropouts as unquestion-
ably the right thing to do, so we do it, they alsoreported disincentives to reenrollment. Tis
section explores the policy consequences and
practical challenges the district aced when high
school dropouts returned to the enrollment
rosters.
San Bernardino City Unied School District
administrators, high school principals, and
reenrollees were interviewed to identiy issues
related to the reenrollment o dropouts (appendix
C contains the interview protocols). Intervieweesreported that the generally poor enrollment,
attendance, and graduation rates o reenrollees
adversely aected the districts resources in several
ways. Interview responses were classied into our
categories o concernsearly intervention, capac-
ity, unding, and accountabilitythat describe
the practical challenges the district aced when
dropouts returned to school.
0
25
50
75
100
Grade 12Grade 11Grade 10Grade 9
Percent
Grade of first dropout event
Graduated Dropped out Other outcome
66.7%
33.3%
45.2%
42.9%
11.9%
35.4%
41.8%
22.8%
9.5%
59.3%
31.2%
igure 8
Rt f t r
rr, r frt rt t
Source: Authors analysis based on San Bernardino City Unifed School
District, Department o Research/Systems Analysis, enrollment data
or the 2001/02 grade 9 high school cohort, personal communication,
June 14, 2007.
table 4
nr rt f t r rr s brr ct uf s
dtrt, 2001/022005/06
s
rs
n p
d 227 54.2
g s w s 77 18.4
o
ts s w ss v 88 21.0
S s s 2005/06 22 5.3
e 3 0.7
e v 2 0.5
t
Source: Authors analysis based on San Bernardino City Unifed School District, Department o Research/Systems Analysis, enrollment data or the 2001/02
grade 9 high school cohort, personal communication, June 14, 2007.
8/14/2019 Dropouts Returning to High School Face Issue
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14 reenrollment o high School dropoutS in a large, urban School diStrict
Early intervention concerns
A key concern expressed by San Bernardino City
Unied School District contacts was the inade-
quate opportunities reenrollees had to earn credits
quickly, and thus catch up, when they returned toschool (18 o 20 respondents). Interventions are
needed to enable students to accumulate credits
lost due to course ailures, to accelerate credit
accrual to advance rom one grade to the next,
and to meet the course credit requirements or
graduation. Without early interventions to assist
reenrollees in making up credit deciencies, one
reenrollee described that they can lose hope, give
up, and drop out again.
All reenrollees interviewed explained that creditdeciency was the primary deterrent to staying
in school. Tis was true at the time o their rst
dropout event and at subsequent dropout events.
I gave up when I ell behind in
credits, explained a reenrollee
who dropped out multiple times.
In many cases (4 o 6 respon-
dents) reenrollees bel ieved as
early as grade 9 that gradua-
tion was unattainable and that
recovering rom ailed courses orcredit deciencies was an insur-
mountable obstacle. o earn the
credits needed to graduate, they
described having to go to school
day and night at lots o dier-
ent places. One h-year senior
recalled completing grade 9 with
no credits and entering the ourth year o high
school with only 10 o the 230 credits required to
graduate. o make up this decit, this students
school schedule entailed concurrent enrollmentin an accelerated credit recovery program at one
o the districts continuation schools and courses
at both a community college and an adult educa-
tion school. Another student reported, [I attend
high school] eight periods a day [six is ty pical]
and on uesdays, Tursdays, and Saturdays I go
to adult school to give me extra opportunities to
get credits.
Te ve traditional high schools had no credit
recovery interventions. We have no viable plan to
recover credits early on, when it matters, ex-
plained one principal at a traditional high school.
Eorts to oer additional courses in periods beore
and aer school had allen short, according totwo principals, because o the difculty o getting
teachers to take on these additional course loads.
Accelerated credit recovery options were oered
only at the continuation and adult education
schools, which had minimum age requirements
o 16 and 17.6 years and capacity limitations that
restricted the enrollment o eligible students.
Summer school, aer school, and Saturday school
programs were described as primarily preparation
or the high school exit examination or tutor-
ing; they were not structured to make up credit-bearing courses.
Capacity concerns
According to many reenrollees and school prin-
cipals (9 o 13 respondents), the demand to enroll
in continuation schools exceeded the capacity to
serve students requesting a transer rom tra-
ditional high schools or reenrolling ollowing a
dropout event. San Bernardino City Unied School
District contacts reported a waiting period oone year, despite the districts decision to double
enrollment capacity (by splitting the school day at
continuation schools into morning and aernoon
sessions).
Reenrollees explained that continuation schools
were oen considered a better option than
traditional high schools or returning dropouts
because o attributes that eased the transition
back to school and strengthened their resolve to
stay in school. Courses to make up ailed creditsand sel-paced accelerated credit programs, not
oered at traditional high schools, were consid-
ered especial ly important (5 o 6 respondents).
Te more exible schedule at continuation schools
allowed students concurrently to work, receive
job training, or attend credit-bearing courses at
adult education or vocational schools. Courses
at continuation schools also accommodated
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What iSSueS did the diStrict conront regarding reenrollment o dropoutS? 15
the remediation needs o many reenrollees who
struggled at traditional high schools because o
missed instruction.
Te limited enrollment capacity at the continu-
ation schools meant that students aging out ocompulsory education or struggling to earn the
required graduation credits were reerred to adult
education schools. For students ages 18 and older
there is no resource stream responsible or their
schooling, and ar ewer students generally earn a
high school diploma than an equivalency or other
alternative high school credential. Reenrollees
and principals did not consider summer school
an option or accelerated credit recovery because
o its ocus on preparation or the high school exit
examination.
Funding concerns
San Bernardino City Unied School District lead-
ers and school principals (10 o 14 respondents)
expressed concern about how the districts average
daily attendance is aected by dropouts and reen-
rollees and by other transitory students. Average
daily attendance is Caliornias base district per
pupil unding ormula, determined by the total
number o days o student attendance dividedby the total number o days in the regular school
year. A districts average daily attendance de-
creases with declining enrollments and irregular
attendance, both o which are adversely aected by
dropouts and reenrollees. As one principal plainly
explained, Students who dont attend regularly
dont generate much o their expected ull [average
daily attendance].
Since the unds a district receives rom the state
or an upcoming year are based on the prioryears average daily attendance, high-poverty
districts like the San Bernardino City Unied
School District receive state unds that do not
ully account or its total number o students.
In such districts, where amilies move sud-
denly seeking aordable housing and work
and where large numbers o students drop out,
reenroll, and drop out again, daily attendance
or generating ofcial average daily attendance is
unreliable.
Te reenrollment o dropouts can limit district
average daily attendance unds in other ways
as well. For instance, the timing o reenroll-ment has unding implications. Dropouts who
return to school aer the states April 15 average
daily attendance cuto date are not counted in
the districts average daily attendance or the
remainder o the school year. And dropouts who
reenroll in one o the districts charter schools
instead o in a traditional or continuation high
school lower the districts overall average daily
attendance. When these reenrollees transer,
their share o average daily attendance count is
redirected to the charter school, and the statelowers the districts prior year guarantee, leaving
the district with ewer unds than original ly
awarded. Additionally, conventional enroll-
ment projections or unding are based on the
assumption that students graduate rom high
school in our years, yet the San Bernardino City
Unied School District accommodates a growing
number o h-year seniors, mostly credit-de-
cient reenrollees whose absences rom school did
not generate their ull average daily attendance
the prior year. Tis leaves the district with ewerunds to compensate or the cost o the extra
year o schooling.
Accountability concerns
San Bernardino City
Unied School District
leaders and school prin-
cipals reported chal-
lenges meeting particular
accountability provisions(13 o 14 respondents).
Under the ederal No
Child Le Behind Act
o 2001 schools must
demonstrate adequate
yearly progress in educating all students to state
standards in English language arts and mathemat-
ics. In Caliornia progress is evaluated using the
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16 reenrollment o high School dropoutS in a large, urban School diStrict
Academic Perormance Index, which measures the
academic perormance and school growth based
on a variety o state-required tests and establishes
a statewide ranking based on those scores. In
addition, to meet accountability requirements,
schools must demonstrate 95 percent participa-tion on state-required tests, and high schools must
meet state graduation targets.
According to all the high school principals
interviewed, high school enrollments uctuated
considerably rom the enrollment census date
near the opening o the school year to the testing
date in the spring, challenging schools to meet
the 95 percent testing rate. In 2005/06 three o the
seven district high schools missed the test par-
ticipation rate target (San Bernar-dino City Unied School District
2007ag). Principals reported
that this requirement can be a
near-impossible target, result-
ing in last ditch eortssuch as
knocking on doors at students
homes, rounding up students
at the mall and juvenile hall,
and arranging transportation
to boost attendance on test day.
Despite these eorts, one principalwhose school missed the target
by nine students acknowledged
that the absences o dropouts and
the generally poor attendance o reenrollees were
impediments.
Another accountability measurement concern
raised by district administrators was a kind o
double, even triple jeopardy based on the way
dropouts are counted (6 o 7 respondents). Since
dropping out is counted as an event, a single stu-dent with more than one dropout and reenrollment
event increases the number o dropouts, which in
turn decreases the graduation rate. In Caliornia
the high school graduation rate (dened as the
number o graduates divided by standard gradu-
ates plus dropouts over the previous our years)
must be at least 82.9 percent or improve by 0.1 per-
cent over the previous year or by 0.2 percent over
the second previous year. School leaders acknowl-
edged a perverse incentive not to reenroll dropouts
because the likely outcomes or returning dropouts
are poor attendance and additional dropout events,
and because dropout rates count against the Aca-
demic Perormance Index. During the nal yearcovered by this study, two o the seven district high
schools missed the states graduation rate require-
ment (San Bernardino City Unied School District
2007ag).
A nal accountability measurement concern
involved reenrollees who earned the requisite 230
credits to graduate but dropped out aer ailing
the states exit exam. o retake the exit examina-
tion to graduate, students must reenroll in school.
Tree o the seven principals interviewed men-tioned that dropouts reenrolled at their schools
to sit or the examination and then dropped out
again, unwilling to take credit-bearing courses not
needed to graduate. For high schools this results in
higher absence and dropout rates, lower unding
based on average daily attendance, and an added
challenge to meet the 95 percent test rate account-
ability requirement.
WhaT do disTRicT sTa andsTudenTs suggesT oR changes
in policies and pRacTices?
While there are no simple solutions to the dropout
problem and the reenrollment challenge, the San
Bernardino City Unied School District reports a
commitment to identiy, reach, and reenroll stu-
dents who leave school beore graduating. Already
in practice were daily attendance verications,
home visits, and attendance blitzes or targeted
at-risk students, programs to aid the transitionrom grade 8 to grade 9, and an open h-year se-
nior option.9 With just an 18.4 percent graduation
rate or reenrollees rom San Bernardino City Uni-
ed School District high schools, district adminis-
trators and reenrollees were asked in interviews to
consider changes to current policies and practices
to improve graduation outcomes. Te ollowing
summarizes what they said:
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SuggeStionS or urther reSearch 17
Policies
Create unding and program incentives as a
counterbalance to the disincentives districts
and schools experience when providing
outreach to dropouts and reenrolling thesehigh-risk, high-need students.
arget additional nancial resources or aca-
demic, behavioral, and social interventions to
support reenrollees when they return to school.
Adjust the ormula or the dropout rate to ac-
count or students who drop out and reenroll
multiple times or who retake the exit exam
and ail multiple times so that high schools
are not penalized with an inated dropoutrate or returning these students to school.
Increase the capacity o districts to oer more
continuation school enrollment spots and
more short-term credit recovery options at
traditional high schools.
Digitize and standardize the student enroll-
ment process across all Caliornia districts,
including reenrollment orms, using a linked
student identier system to account or enroll-ment and attendance tracking o individual
students across time and jurisdictions.
Develop outreach, reenrollment, attendance,
academic, and other counseling interventions
to meet the needs o reenrollees and their
amilies throughout the high school years.
Practices
Enroll all grade 9 and 10 students who ail at
least one academic course or earn ewer course
credits than are required to advance to the
next grade in school-based rapid credit recov-
ery interventions because it becomes increas-
ingly difcult or students to make up credits.
Coordinate course credit accrual plans or
individual reenrolleesincluding computer-
assisted courses, beore and aer school
classes, concurrent enrollment in adult
education or vocational schools or community
colleges, weekend or evening academiesto
ensure that credits align with graduation re-
quirements and that plans are manageable orstudents returning aer a dropout event.
Expand grade 9 academic interventions or
students who perorm at basic level or below
on standardized tests to prevent course ailure
and credit deciency.
Oer non-credit-bearing courses or re-
enrollees who complete all necessary courses
and credits to graduate and reenroll in school
solely to retake the high school exit exam.
Designate counseling
resources to support
the special academic
and developmental
needs o dropouts,
reenrollees, h-year
seniors, and students
aging out o school
without earning a
diploma.
Reevaluate the district practice o assigning an
F to students who drop out beore completing
a course, with no opportunity to regain course
creditsreplacing it with a grade o incom-
plete and the ability to recover course credits
upon reenrolling and receiving a passing grade.
Develop alternatives to out-o-school sus-
pensions that require students with behav-
ioral problems to attend school and receiveinterventions.
suggesTions oR uRTheR ReseaRch
Te research on high school dropouts is silent on
reenrollees and lacks longitudinal cohort stud-
ies that track the on-time high school graduation
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18 reenrollment o high School dropoutS in a large, urban School diStrict
outcomes o students who reenroll in their districts
o origin. Tis study begins to ll that inormation
gap. Some research issues that emerge specically
rom its ndings include contrasting the graduation
outcomes o reenrollees who return to their schools
o origin and those who reenroll in traditional highschools or continuation high schools, examining
the trend and outcomes o a h- or sixth-year time
rame or high school enrollment, and disaggregat-
ing the characteristics and outcomes o conrmed
dropouts with those who purportedly transerred
to another district, but or whom there was no
evidence o reenrollment. More general questions
include investigations o approaches to address
course credit deciencies and actors that explain
the varying graduation and dropout rates o reen-
rollees across racial/ethnic groups.
New primary data could oer more detailed in-
ormation about certain key issues raised but not
addressed in this study, such as the high school
experiences and graduation outcomes o reenroll-
ees who enroll in adult education and the charac-
teristics o reenrollees who subsequently drop outagain beore earning course credit or graduating.
Also needed are policy studies to recommend solu-
tions to the disincentives to reenrolling dropouts.
Finally, extending this study to larger geographic
areas, such as contiguous school districts or the
state, would allow the investigation to address the
high school enrollment and graduation outcomes
o students who transer out o their district o
origin.
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appendix a 19
appendix a
meThodology
Tis study was conducted in San Bernardino City
Unied School District, Caliornias seventh largest
school district, with about 59,000 students, locatedin Southern Caliornias Inland Empire (Caliornia
Department o Education 2007a). Te district was
selected as the study site mainly because it main-
tains a linked, longitudinal student-level dataset
that tracks dropout and reenrollment histories
across district schools. In addition, the district
recognizes its dropout problem and demonstrates
a commitment to identiy, reach, and reenroll
students who leave school beore graduating. Spe-
cic district practices included daily attendance
verication, home visits, and attendance blitzesor targeted at-risk students; instant reenrollment
procedures;10 remediation and test preparation
courses; programs to aid the transition rom grade
8 to grade 9; and an open, h-year senior option.
As a convenience sample San Bernardino City
Unied School District provides a large, urban,
and racially diverse setting, subject to the same
state policies that govern all other Caliornia
districts.
Data sources
Data sources or this mixed-methods, single case
study included a district dataset with linked, lon-
gitudinal student-level data or 2000/012006/07
and interviews with 20 San Bernardino City
Unied School District contacts. Since data on
students rom 2000/01 were incomplete, this study
used data on 9th graders who began high school in
2001/02.
District dataset o school enrollment, demographic,
and course data. Te San Bernardino City Unied
School District dataset contained all students en-
rolled in all district high schools between 2000/01
and 2006/07. Te longitudinal dataset included
unique student identication numbers that al-
lowed tracking students across schools over time.
Te dataset contained each students enrollment
history in the district. It also contained an activ-
ity le or 2000/012005/06 that was updated
annually or students who experienced events
that would change their enrollment status in the
district (or example, dropping out, graduating,
transerring to another district with transcriptsbeing sent to that district, and transerring to
another district without transcripts being sent).
Te longitudinal nature o the dataset and the
unique student identier allowed researchers to
calculate a cohort dropout rate and a reenrollment
rate among dropouts. Finally, course-level data or
2001/022005/06 provided inormation about all
courses that students took at district high schools
during the period under examination. Key demo-
graphic characteristics o the cohort are summa-rized in table B2 in appendix B.
Interviews. Drawing on the preliminary analysis o
the district dataset, interviews were conducted to
clariy, afrm, or challenge the study ndings and
to explore state and district policies and practices
that aect reenrollment and students experiences
dropping out and reenrolling in San Bernardino
City Unied School District high schools. In all
2007 interview data were collected rom 20 district
contacts during a weeklong, in-person site visit.Each interview lasted 3045 minutes.11
Te San Bernardino City Unied School District
assistant superintendent identied seven district
administrators to be interviewed based on their
proessional roles and knowledge o dropout and
reenrollment issues. Tey were interviewed using
the semistructured protocol in appendix C. Te
ve principals o the districts traditional high
schools and the two principals o the districts
continuation schools were then interviewed aboutschool perspectives on reenrolling dropouts, also
using the semistructured protocol in appendix C.
Te principals then identied dropouts who re-
enrolled in district schools or the student interview
sample. Six students, each rom dierent high
schools, were interviewed about their dropout and
reenrollment experiences, using the semistruc-
tured protocol in appendix C. Te interview with
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20 reenrollment o high School dropoutS in a large, urban School diStrict
the seventh student rom one o the traditional
high schools was canceled because o a scheduling
conict with the administration o the state exit
exam.
Data analyses
Cohort selection. o ollow a cohort o students
through high school, beginning with students who
were rst-time 9th graders in 2001/02, researchers
constructed a sample rom the San Bernardino
City Unied School District dataset.12 Tere were
5,674 students enrolled in district public high
schools in grade 9 during the 2001/02 school year.
Dropped rom the sample were all second-time
9th graders (students who were enrolled in grade
9 the previous year, but who had not accumu-lated enough credits to advance to grade 10).
Also dropped rom the sample were all students
younger than age 13 or older than 17 on Septem-
ber 1, 2001, the year they entered high school (41
students), so that the analysis would examine only
students o typical high school age and, presum-
ably, o typical high school behavior. Te nal
sample consisted o 3,856 rst-time 9th graders.
Graduates, dropouts and reenrollees, and others
Based on the exit codes used by the San Bernar-
dino City Unied School District to classiy the
enrollment status o students, the grade 9 study
cohort was split into three broad categories: stan-
dard graduates, dropouts, and others (table B1 in
appendix B). Students are classied based on the
exit code o their rst interruption o continuous
enrollment in the district.
Standard graduates are students who earn a regu-
lar high school diploma rom a San BernardinoCity Unied School District high school in our or
ve years between 2001/02 and 2005/06 without
any interruption in enrollment in the district
(through a dropout event, transer to another
district, or expulsion). Tis study distinguishes
between standard graduates and high school
graduates, which include dropouts and other
students who experienced an interruption in their
enrollment but graduated in the district within the
study time rame.
Dropouts are students whose rst withdrawal rom
a district high school met one o three criteria that
align with the dropout and graduation guidelinesestablished by the National Governors Associa-
tion and the Caliornia Department o Education
(2005, 2007):
High school students who withdrew rom
school beore graduating but were not known
to have been in an education program that led
to a high school diploma or its equivalent but
have not died.
High school students who did not ormally
withdraw rom school beore graduating but
were under the compulsory school attendance
age o 18 and stopped attending school and
could not be located.
High school students who reported trans-
erring to another district without having
their transcripts sent to the receiving district
and were not known to be in an education
program that led to a high school diploma or
equivalent.
Reenrollees are students within the dropout cat-
egory who reenroll in high school. Tey are high
school dropouts who reenroll at least once in the
district between 2001/02 and 2005/06 (see table
B2 in appendix B or reenrollment rates by key
characteristics).
Others are primarily students who transer to
other districts beore graduating or dropping out
between 2001/02 and 2005/06 (see table B1 inappendix B), and there is no way to know the out-
comes or these students since complete inorma-
tion about their education histories is unavailable
to the San Bernardino City Unied School District.
Tis category also includes students who were ex-
pelled, died, or earned an alternative high school
completion certicate beore dropping out or
graduating or who were continuously enrolled in
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