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Expanded learning opportunities (ELOs), which include afterschool, summer learning, and extended day and extended year programs, can help states reduce dropout rates and increase graduation rates. Effective elementary, middle, and high school ELOs support academic rigor, boost student engagement, and provide students with supportive relationships. High-quality ELOs can also help combat the effects of poverty on students' academic achievement by providing programs and services including tutoring, homework help, life skills and job training, and enrichment opportunities in music, sports, and the arts. Expanding access to high-quality ELOs can be a key state strategy to stem the tide of students leaving school before graduation. This issue brief offers strategies that ensure ELOs are an effective part of a state's larger dropout prevention strategy. Governors who pursue these strategies as part of an ambitious dropout prevention agenda can expect to see not only fewer high school dropouts, but also more engaged students who are better prepared for work and life beyond school. (Contains 63 notes.)

Extended learning opportunities (ELOs) provide safe, structured learning environments for students outside the traditional school day. ELOs include afterschool and summer learning programs as well as before-school, evening, and weekend programs. ELOs come in many forms and can include tutoring, volunteering, academic support, community service, organized sports, homework help, and art and music programs. ELOs are based in schools, 21st Century Community Learning Centers, child care centers, and community-based organizations, such as 4-H Clubs and Boys and Girls Clubs. No matter where they are located, ELOs complement what children and youth learn during school in ways that support student success. For this reason, effective ELOs should be considered an integral part of state elementary and secondary (K-12) education systems. All ELOs, however, do not produce similar results. In fact, low quality ELOs fail to show positive impacts and can even have negative effects on children. Therefore, governors, chief state school officers, and other state leaders should act to support the development, sustainability, and availability of high quality ELOs. To improve ELO quality, state leaders have initiated efforts to develop program standards, create program self-assessment tools, and provide technical assistance to local programs. State leaders can build on and strengthen these efforts by integrating them into a broader state ELO quality system. State leaders can take the following actions to implement a comprehensive state ELO quality system: (1) Establish an ELO quality team of key stakeholders to envision, develop, and administer a state ELO quality system; (2) Identify federal and state funding sources to support ELO quality; (3) Specify state goals for ELOs and set research-based ELO program standards; (4) Measure the extent to which ELOs meet program standards and demonstrate expected results.; (5) Provide incentives to improve ELO quality; (6) Support a strong ELO workforce; and (7) Connect students with high quality ELOs. Implementing these seven strategies can help state leaders boost ELO quality to better support children, families, and communities. This guide discusses why high quality ELOs are important, the features of high quality ELOs, state actions to develop an ELO Quality System (detailing each of the seven actions listed above), and next steps. (Contains 113 notes.)

As governors confront the worst state fiscal environment in the past 25 years, long-term prospects for strong economic growth are hampered by an immense underlying problem: the high school dropout crisis. At least one student in five drops out of school, and nearly 5 million 18- to 24-year-olds lack a high school diploma. Annually, dropouts cost the United States more than $300 billion in lost wages and increased public-sector expenses. Furthermore, with the nation ranking 20 out of 28 among industrialized democracies on high school graduation rates, the dropout problem is a substantial drag on the nation's economic competitiveness. The high school dropout problem affects all states, but for some, it is more daunting. No state has higher than an 88 percent graduation rate, and 10 states have rates below 66 percent. All states also have "dropout factories," schools that fail to promote at least 40 percent of 9th graders to 12th grade within three years. More than half the nation's dropouts come from these schools, which are typically located in high-poverty communities. Students drop out of school for four primary reasons, which are often interrelated. The first is academic failure, which involves failing courses or high school exit exams. The second is disinterest in school--a lack of engagement in academic or social aspects of school--which often leads to poor attendance. The third is problematic behavior inside or outside of school that interferes with learning. Finally, some students drop out because of life events, such as becoming pregnant, getting a job, or caring for an ill family member. These drivers of high school dropout are, of course, strongly influenced by the broader social context of schools, districts, families, communities, and states. Although knowledge of why students drop out exists, states face numerous challenges to action. In many states, outdated laws allow students to drop out before age 18, schools are not held accountable for graduation rates, and responsibility for dropout prevention and recovery is diffuse or nonexistent. Many schools lack the capacity to identify and intervene on behalf of students at risk of dropping out and, once students have dropped out, no clear path back to school exists. Finally, in all states, there are too many low-performing schools and too few effective education options for children and youth. Governors are in an extraordinary position to confront these challenges and stem the tide of high school dropouts. To do so, governors should take four actions: (1) Promote high school graduation for all; (2) Target youth at risk of dropping out; (3) Reengage youth who have dropped out of school; and (4) Provide rigorous, relevant options for earning a high school diploma. Together, these strategies form a comprehensive approach to dropout prevention and recovery. Governors who pursue these reforms can expect to realize substantial benefits. Lowering dropout rates expands opportunity for more youth, paving the way for success in college, career, and life. It engenders stronger communities, enhanced civic life, and an improved workforce. In the long run, achieving graduation for all helps put states on the path to economic growth. (Contains 6 figures and 193 notes.) [Funding for this document was provided by the GE Foundation.]

Opportunities for school choice in the United States have expanded since the 1990s. This report uses data from the National Household Surveys Program (NHES) to present trends that focus on the use of and users of public schools (assigned and chosen), private schools (church-and nonchurch-related), and homeschoolers between 1993 and 2003. The percentage of students enrolled in their assigned public school decreased from 80 percent to 74 percent between 1993 and 2003, while this decrease was nearly offset by an increase in chosen public school enrollment from 11 to 15 percent between 1993 and 2003. During this same time period, enrollment in church-related private schools remained stable at 8 percent and enrollment in nonchurch-related private schools increased from 1.6 to 2.4 percent. This report also presents data on parental perceptions of public school choice availability and associations between the public and private school types children were enrolled in and parental satisfaction with and involvement in the schools. About one-half of all students have parents who reported that public school choice was available in their community, with one-quarter of students attending assigned public schools having parents who considered enrolling them in a school other than the one they were currently attending, while 17 percent of all students and 27 percent of Black students attended a school other than their parent's first-choice school. Generally, there were no parental involvement differences detected between students enrolled in assigned and chosen public schools. Parents of students in private schools reported more direct involvement in their children's schools than parents of students enrolled in other types of schools. Appended are: (1) Technical notes; and (2) Supplemental Tables. (Contains 9 tables, 6 figures, and 27 footnotes.)

Despite the importance of first grade as a crucial period in a young student's academic development, little is known nationally about how much time first-graders actually spend in class on various subjects or about the kinds of activities and skills that they work on in class. This Issue Brief details how often per week and how much time per day first-graders were instructed in subjects such as reading, mathematics, and science during the 1999-2000 academic year. It then focuses in more detail on students' in-class work on reading and language arts. Results are based on data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K). This study involved a sample of 16,165 first grade students that is representative of the 3.8 million first-graders enrolled in the United States in Spring 2000. Data are based on first grade teacher reports from spring 2000. (Contains 2 tables.)

This report represents the latest survey information from the National Center for Education Statistics on the prevalence of homeschooling in the United States. This document uses the Parent and Family Involvement Survey of the 2003 National Household Education Surveys Program (NHES) to estimate the number and percentage of homeschooled students in the United States in 2003 and to describe the characteristics of these students and their families. It reports on the race and ethnicity, income level, and educational attainment of students parents; compares the characteristics of homeschoolers to those of public and private schooled students; examines how homeschooling rates have changed between 1999 and 2003 for different segments of the student population; and describes parents' primary reasons for homeschooling their children, as well as the resources and curricular tools homeschooled students use in their education. Children were considered to be homeschooled if their parents reported them being schooled at home instead of at a public or private school, if their enrollment in public or private schools did not exceed 25 hours a week, and if they were not being homeschooled solely because of a temporary illness. Interviews were conducted with the parents of 11,994 students ages 5 through 17 with a grade equivalent of kindergarten through 12th grade. Of these students, 239 were homeschooled. The NHES is designed to collect data on a wide range of educational indicators and types of students, including, but not limited to, homeschooling. Therefore, readers should note that the number of questions asked of homeschoolers and the number of homeschoolers represent only a small portion of the NHES collection. The overall response rates for the survey were 54 percent in 2003 and 65 percent in 1999. When the sample is weighted, it represents the approximately 50 million students ages 5 through 17 with a grade equivalent of kindergarten through 12th grade in the United States in 2003. The results of the 2003 NHES survey reveal that the weighted estimate of the number of students being homeschooled in the United States in the spring of 2003 was 1,096,000, a figure which represents a 29 percent increase from the estimated 850,000 students who were being homeschooled in the spring of 1999. The following are appended: (1) Standard Error Tables; and (2) Methodology and Technical Notes. (Contains 7 tables and 3 figures.)

In a study of teacher turnover in U.S. private schools between the 1999-2000 and 2000-01 school years, within each private school type (i.e., Catholic, other religious, and nonsectarian), teachers who left their school or the profession (movers and leavers) were more likely to report relatively low levels of administrative support, satisfaction with salary, student discipline, and teacher input in classroom and school decisions than were those who remained in the same school (stayers). The percentage of all teachers, stayers, and movers and leavers who reported relatively low levels of organizational characteristics varied across private school type. By employing principal reports, this Issue Brief's analysis of teacher turnover took advantage of the large 1999-2000 SASS sample, which allowed for analysis of teachers by private school type.

This issue brief examines the educational outcomes of students who were classified as high school dropouts 8 years after most of their 1988 cohort of 8th graders would have completed high school. Some students who drop out return a short time later to earn a diploma, some may pursue an alternative credential such as a General Educational Development (GED) certificate, and others may enroll in a postsecondary institution without having earned a high school credential. Data on public and private school students from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88), examines the educational attainment of 1988 eighth-graders who had dropped out of high school at least once since eighth grade. Results show that the majority of students (63%) who drop out of high school go on to earn a high school diploma or alternative certification. (Contains 3 tables.)

This brief uses data from the 2003 National Household Education Surveys Program (NHES) to estimate the number of homeschooled students in the United States in 2003 and to discuss the reasons parents decide to homeschool their children. Overall, from 1999 to 2003, the number of homeschooled students in the United States increased, as did the homeschooling rate. The increase in the homeschooling rate (from 1.7 percent to 2.2 percent) represents about 0.5 percent of the 2002-2003 school-age population and a 29 percent relative increase over the 4-year period. While data from the NHES cannot explain why homeschooling was more prevalent in 2003 than in 1999, it can provide insight into why parents homeschooled their children in 2003. Parents may have homeschooled their children for a variety of reasons, but certain factors appear to have been more influential than others. Nearly two-thirds of homeschooled students had parents who said that their primary reason for homeschooling was either concern about the environment of other schools or a desire to provide religious or moral instruction.