Spring 2007 Focus on Dropping Out, Coming Back
Vol. 14 No. 3
Pathways back to school don't yet match need
by Dale Mezzacappa
Sophia Griggs wants to go back to school.
The 18-year-old left Benjamin Franklin High three years ago, sent off for bad behavior to one of the District’s disciplinary schools. She now says that she isn’t the same kid she was then and deserves another chance.
Comments (0)
Download Edition
More in this edition
On the front lines of Philadelphia's dropout crisis
by Eric K. Grimes and Benjamin Herold
"I couldn't have dropped out without hearing it from my grandparents, my neighbors - even the older thugs in the neighborhood," says Jay Henry, director of the Office of Truancy and Delinquency Prevention for Philadelphia's Department of Human Services. "The same message would have been reinforced 150 times a month: 'What do you think you're doing?'"
"Now, parents don't have those intimate relationships to support them," Henry observes.
Comments (0)
How many students graduate? Why do students leave school?
by Dale Mezzacappa
Unfulfilled Promise, the study by researchers Ruth Curran Neild and Robert Balfanz of dropout trends for Philadelphia students in public schools between 2000 and 2005, revealed the magnitude of the crisis in Philadelphia and delineated the major reasons why students drop out.
The study looked at how many Philadelphia students dropped out during a single school year, 2003-2004.
Comments (2)
More from this section
Table of Contents
Theme articles
- Pathways back to school don't yet match need by Dale Mezzacappa
- How many students graduate? Why do students leave school? by Dale Mezzacappa
- Behind the numbers are faces, lives - and voices
- Latinos hardest hit by city's dropout problem by Deborah Russell-Brown
- Pathways for getting the diploma or credential you need
- Mayoral candidates tackle the city's dropout problem
- Web Exclusive Council candidates discuss dropouts
- Getting a handle on truancy takes more than getting tough by Toni Callas
- On the front lines of Philadelphia's dropout crisis by Eric K. Grimes and Benjamin Herold
- Small high schools show encouraging signs of change by Dale Mezzacappa
- YouthBuild: Combining school and work to re-engage youth by Liza Herzog
- An hour away, a model for rigorous technical training by Liza Herzog and Don Spangler
- Analysis: Dropout rates - It's all in the coding by Ruth Curran Neild
Other news & features
- District battles bulging deficit
- TerraNova scores reach plateau by Paul Socolar
- Web Exclusive Suspicions about 2005 test gains now confirmed
- Study: Many schools see breakdown in discipline
- Providers not giving more for money, studies say by Paul Socolar
- Notebook surveys in, and prizes awarded
- District's budget gap widens by Paul Socolar
- Edison gets $1.6 M for students it doesn't have by Paul Socolar
Cartoon
- Spring 2007 Cartoon
In our opinion
- A U-turn for dropouts
Letters to the editors
- Policy confuses special ed families
- Differing views of parent involvement
Eye on special education
- A behavioral health agenda and where it could lead us by Shelly Yanoff
Activism around the city
- Mayoral candidates' forum aims to emphasize education
- West Philadelphia HS advocates seek financing
- Immigrant communities decry cuts in services
News in brief
- Armbrister nominated to fill Whelan's seat on SRC
- Two District schools win national accolades
Guest opinions
- Local nonprofits help fill service gaps to city youth by Elaine Simon
En español
- Luchando contra el abandono escolar por Eric K. Grimes y Benjamin Herold
- Por qué abandonó la escuela: ‘18 años y en 10mo grado’
Can a Renaissance happen without the community?
by Daniel Denvir
More from the NEWSFLASH
The NEWSFLASH, a free e-bulletin, provides timely stories and updates in between print editions of the Notebook.
Subscribe to the NEWSFLASH
Past Editions of the NEWSFLASH
Notebook Chatter
This place is a wonderfully vibrant school full of understanding and drive.
How should the District make up for the 
