The California Dropout Research Project engages in three major activities:

• RESEARCH: The project has commissioned a series of research studies and created statistical briefs on four facets of the dropout issue: (a) the nature of the problem, (b) the economic and social consequences of the problem, (c) the causes of the problem, and (d) solutions to the problem. More
• POLICY: The project has developed a policy agenda by establishing a Policy Committee composed of policymakers, educators, scholars, and a community activist and issuing a Policy Report with recommendations for schools, districts, and the state. More
• DISSEMINATION: The project has developed a dissemination strategy to distribute the publications from the project to educators, policymakers, and key stakeholders in the state and to publicize the project’s activities. More

 

RESEARCH

The project has commissioned a series of studies by leading scholars throughout the United States to synthesize existing research and to undertake new research on the four major facets of the dropout issue. To date, 16 research studies have been completed. One additional study has been commissioned:

• A study on the relationship between health and dropout behavior, by Joshua Breslau and Elizabeth Miller (UC Davis).

In addition, the project staff has produced a series of statistical briefs on more specific aspects of the issue. To date, 12 statistical briefs have been completed.

The project staff has also produced a series of City Dropout Profiles documenting the economic losses from dropouts in 17 major cities California cities who are part of the California Mayors' Education Roundtable.

POLICY

To project has developed a policy agenda for the state to address the dropout crisis. To develop the policy agenda, the project established a Policy Committee composed of educators, policymakers, researchers, and a community activist. The committee met three times over a 10-month period in 2007 and issued its report, Solving California’s Dropout Crisis, on February 27, 2008. The report recommends a series of actions that the state, districts, and schools should take to help solve the dropout crisis in the state.

In December 2006, California State Senator Darrell Steinberg, a member of the CDRP Policy Committee, established the Senate Select Committee on High School Graduation. CDRP Project Director Russell Rumberger worked closely with Senator Steinberg and his staff to plan and participate in a series of five hearings that highlighted various aspects of the dropout crisis and to present new research from the project.

In December 2007, The California Mayors' Education Roundtable was established to bring together mayors and their key staff members to discuss education and youth issues and develop common ground to work collectively on statewide education and related issues. At the first meeting, the mayors decided to focus on the issue of dropouts. Dr. Rumberger has been meeting with the group and working with its Director, Paul Koehler, to support the activities of the Roundtable, which includes producing the CDRP City Dropout Profiles.

On August 28, Director Rumberger testified at the first hearing of the California State Assembly Select Committee on Lowering California's High School Dropout Rates, chaired by Assemblymember Alyson Huber.

CDRP Director Rumberger continues working on activities to implement the various recommendations in the CDRP Policy Report. He recently authored a policy memo on additional indicators the state could produce with its existing longitudinal student data system, the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS). This information and a recommendation from the CDRP Policy Report for issuing an annual high school dropout report were incorporated into Senate Bill 651, sponsored by Senators Romero and Steinberg.

DISSEMINATION

The project has undertaken a number of dissemination activities.

A project website was created in January 2007 that includes a distinct project logo. The website contains extensive information about all the activities and products of the project. The website also contains information about dropout activities and products produced by outside organizations and includes a (reference or resource) list of dropout reports issued by these and other organizations.

CDRP produced Policy Briefs-—four-page summaries of the major findings—-from each of the 16 research studies that are written for a general (non-academic) audience (see "Research", above). CDRP prints and distributes these Policy Briefs to a mailing list of 850 persons including all state legislators, all district superintendents of secondary school districts, all county superintendents, and select education stakeholders at the state level. In addition, Statistical Briefs and Policy Briefs are mailed to a separate list of about 80 key state education stakeholders and foundation officers.

The project has worked with two communication firms to help publicize the activities of the project. The communication firms helped to draft and disseminate a number of press releases on the project and its work.

CDRP Director Rumberger has written three op-ed articles on the project and the research findings. A number of presentations and other activities (PDF) were undertaken to develop public awareness of the project and of the dropout crisis in California at the state, national, and international levels.