California develops “early warning system” for school dropouts

The California legislature has been working on an “early warning system” for preventing school dropouts based on attendance. Children Now, one of our Voices members in California, has been tracking the legislation:

“We all know that dropping out is a process, not a specific event, and the process is marked by many indicators along the way, including school attendance—and the flip side of attendance is excessive absenteeism,” Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento), the bill’s sponsor, said after the final vote in the Senate. “Poor attendance and chronic absence, even in the early grades, is highly predictive of higher dropout rates later on.”

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