Who Are High School Dropouts?
If we are to help students who have abandoned high school, we need to look beyond such labels as dropouts, nongraduates, or disengaged youth and learn individual stories. At Desert Rose, youth bearing such labels make up our student body. Our student population (currently at 2,300) is 60 percent Latino, 30 percent black, and 10 percent white and Asian. Students come from 38 different countries. Most students are between the ages of 17 and 24. Only one-half of our learners have a high school diploma in their immediate sights; others must learn English before they move into core classes. As principal since the school’s beginning, I’ve learned that these students have very individual struggles. Yes, students who leave high school early share many characteristics: They often come from urban areas; lag behind in reading and math; have children; and show a record of behavior problems, school absences, credit losses, or retention in grade. But there are just as many differences as commonaliti
