An Act preventing students from dropping out of school
(S. 185)
Lead Sponsor: Senator Sonia Chang-Díaz
WHY THIS BILL MATTERS
While Massachusetts has the best public schools in the nation and some of the best standardized test scores in the world, these successes are not reaching all of our young people. Each year, about 10,000 Massachusetts high school students drop out of school, with wide-ranging consequences.
As a state, we have a moral imperative to ensure that all children receive a quality education.
Furthermore, education is the best economic driver we have, allowing our state to fare better – even in tough times – by providing stability and growth. Employers come to Massachusetts because of our educated workforce. Eachyear that our dropout rate eats away at this competitive advantage, we undercut economic growth and job creation.
In addition, our dropout rate impacts the financial health of our state:
- Massachusetts dropouts are less likely to have health insurance than those with more education and are more likely to depend on Medicaid or Medicare for their coverage.
- Dropouts are more likely to depend on public assistance.
- Dropouts making up 70 percent of jail and prison populations in Massachusetts.
- The gap between the fiscal impact of a high school graduate and a high school dropout is $437,167. The average high school dropout in Massachusetts will impose a net fiscal burden of nearly $118,124 on state and federal taxpayers. The average high school graduate will contribute $319,043 more in taxes than he or she will receive from the state and federal government in the form of subsidies and services.
WHAT THIS BILL DOES
This bill brings together parents, teachers, administrators, and community members to keep students on a path to graduation by:
- Improving systems for identifying students who may be at-risk of dropping out by expanding DESE’s Early Warning Indicator Index, providing schools the data that is critical to targeting appropriate resources to kids in need;
- Creating the Massachusetts Graduation Coach Initiative, matching at-risk students with caring adults tasked with helping to guide them to success in the school system;
- Supporting parents in playing an active role in their children’s education by requiring employers to provide modest time off for academic activities (e.g., parent-teacher conferences);
- Charging schools and graduation coaches with including family engagement in their dropout prevention strategies;
- Creating better communication between schools and parents when a child is suspended or expelled, and pushes schools to reduce dependency on suspension and expulsion; and
- Promoting the availability of alternative educational options for students who leave school before graduating, either by dropping out or through long-term suspensions or expulsions.
