"New Information on Youth Who Drop Out: Why They Leave and What Happens to Them" by Wendy Schwartz

- Students in large cities are twice as likely to leave school before graduating than non-urban youth.
- More than half the students who drop out leave by the tenth grade.
- 20% of students quit by the eighth grade.
- 3% of students drop out by the fourth grade.
- Dropouts make up nearly half the prison population.
- Men who got a GED earned 21% more than male dropouts.
- Women GED holders earned 18% more than female dropouts.
- 12% of dropouts ran away from home.
- Almost 20% of dropouts were held back a grade, and almost half failed a course.
- Parents and teachers should help potential dropouts find a GED program and encourage them to stay with it until they get an alternative high school diploma.