cdrp first reports

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August 22, 2007
For immediate release

The California Dropout Research Project (CDRP), based at the Gevirtz School and led by Professor Russell Rumberger at the University of California, Santa Barbara, has issued its first policy reports: “The Economic Losses from High School Dropouts in California” and “The Return on Investment for Improving California’s High School Graduation Rate.” These reports discuss the economic losses caused by dropouts, particularly in the areas of tax revenues, crime, health care and welfare. The briefs compare those losses to the cost of proven dropout interventions, ranging from preschool to high school reform.

The policy briefs estimate California’s economic benefit from effective intervention programs at $392,000 per high school graduate. Each year, 120,000 Californians reach age 20 without a high school diploma.

The full reports and policy briefs can be read on line.

CDRP will unveil a total of 16 briefs and reports that explore the causes and consequences of the dropout crisis and explore solutions. In January 2008, the CDRP Policy Committee – composed of researchers, policymakers, activists, and educators – will issue the project’s final report: a state policy agenda aimed at improving graduation rates in California.

This research is being funded by grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the James Irvine Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the Walter S. Johnson Foundation.

[Russell Rumberger is available for interviews; contact George Yatchisin at 805 893 5789]
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