School's Out: America's Dropout Crisis One of the most complicated and heart-wrenching problems in education today is the dropout crisis. Nearly 1 million teenagers stop going to school every year. In a series, NPR explores the financial and emotional toll of this crisis in education on five people.

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School's Out: America's Dropout Crisis

NPR explores the financial and emotional toll of this crisis in education on five people.

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Why Dropout Data Can Be So Unreliable

July 28, 2011 • Accurate dropout figures are very hard to find because most states don't adequately collect or analyze the data. Part of the problem is that every state has had a different definition for dropout. Dropped out and then enrolled in a GED program? Some states don't consider you a dropout.

A High School Dropout's Midlife Hardships

Kenny Buchanan, 44, dropped out of school as a teenager. He lost his job when the economy collapsed. Claudio Sanchez/NPR hide caption

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A High School Dropout's Midlife Hardships

July 28, 2011 • In ninth grade, Kenny Buchanan dropped out of school. Now, 26 years later, his life is driven by the search for a permanent job that can support his family.

A High School Dropout's Midlife Hardships

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No-Show Students Drop Out Despite Interventions

Danny Lamont Jones, 16, doesn't live at the Rose Street Youth Shelter anymore, but he spends a lot of his time there. Chris Hartlove hide caption

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Chris Hartlove

No-Show Students Drop Out Despite Interventions

July 27, 2011 • Danny Lamont Jones (right) raised lots of red flags not long after he enrolled as an eighth-grader in a Baltimore school. He was quiet, struggling academically, and he didn't show up very often. It's unclear whether efforts to keep the 16-year-old in school will succeed.

No-Show Students Drop Out Despite Interventions

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Teen Fights To Succeed In Rural S.C. Community

Nick Dunn, 16, gave up on school shortly after he lost his father. He lives with his mother, Deborah Gilmore Dunn, in rural South Carolina. Claudio Sanchez/NPR hide caption

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Teen Fights To Succeed In Rural S.C. Community

July 26, 2011 • Nearly a third of students in rural areas don't graduate. In states like South Carolina, lots of teenagers just don't think they need a high school diploma. Nick Dunn, 16, is at risk of joining the ranks of dropouts. School administrators say he lives under "chaotic conditions" at home.

Teen Fights To Succeed In Rural S.C. Community

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A Young Mother Resists A Cycle Of Failure

Lauren Ortega, 20, has two young kids and is struggling to finish her GED. Claudio Sanchez/NPR hide caption

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Opinion

A Young Mother Resists A Cycle Of Failure

July 26, 2011 • Not a day goes by that Lauren Ortega doesn't regret quitting high school. Now, after having two children, the 20-year-old Californian is struggling to complete her GED even as she and her boyfriend are barely able to make ends meet.

A Young Mother Resists A Cycle Of Failure

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From Drug Dealing To Diploma, A Teen's Struggle

Patrick Lundvick, 19, dropped out, spent time in jail and is now getting a second chance in South Chicago. Claudio Sanchez/NPR hide caption

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From Drug Dealing To Diploma, A Teen's Struggle

July 25, 2011 • Of all the problems this country faces in education, one of the most complicated, heart-wrenching and urgent is the dropout crisis. Nearly 1 million teenagers stop going to school every year. Patrick Lundvick, 19, had been hustling and involved with gangs on the streets of South Chicago for much of his life. After dropping out of school at 15, he spent time in jail. Now he's getting a second chance.

From Drug Dealing To Diploma, A Teen's Struggle

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The Cost Of Dropping Out

July 24, 2011 • Nearly 1 million teenagers stop going to school every year. And the impact of that decision is lifelong and the statistics are stark. Dropouts are more likely to commit crimes, abuse drugs and alcohol, become teenage parents, live in poverty and commit suicide.

School Dropout Rates Add To Fiscal Burden

July 24, 2011 • Nearly 1 million kids who start high school every year don't make it to graduation. At a time when federal and state budgets are tight, dropouts costs taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars in lost revenue, health care, welfare and incarceration costs.

School Dropout Rates Add To Fiscal Burden

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