Hopkins's high school dropout study draws criticism
The report estimates that transfer students can only account for one to two percent of the missing students.
Balfanz added that statistics collected by state and local governments are unreliable. Calculations are inconsistent from state to state and even between neighboring districts.
The phrase "dropout factory" has also caused controversy. Critics have argued that the phrase implies that teachers, school administrators or the students in schools with low retention rates, low graduation rates and high dropout rates are the cause of the problem.
"Nothing could be further from the truth," Balfanz said. "The teachers, administrators and students in these schools are often going to heroic lengths to succeed despite long odds."
Balfanz, instead, blamed the intended and unintended consequences of policies implemented by city, state and federal governments, which create schools that are under-resourced, over-challenged and non-supported.
"By no means was this report intended to place the blame on school administrators and teachers," Maushard said. "The goal of the study was to simply highlight a growing problem the country faces."
The report labeled five of Baltimore City's 28 high schools as "dropout factories".
A "dropout factory" is a school in which every year, a significant number of under-prepared and disengaged students enter the ninth grade and struggle to succeed.
"These students become further disengaged, stop attending on a regular basis, fail two or more courses, do not earn promotion to the 10th grade, try again the next year, do no better, likely transfer to another regular school or alternative school, fail to succeed again, and having become over-aged and under-credited and worn down through years of struggle, drop out of school," Balfanz said.
"The process is repetitive, mechanical, and continuous - hence, factory-like."
High schools and vocational schools earn the "dropout factory" label when they graduate less than 60 percent of their freshman class.
Balfanz added that statistics collected by state and local governments are unreliable. Calculations are inconsistent from state to state and even between neighboring districts.
The phrase "dropout factory" has also caused controversy. Critics have argued that the phrase implies that teachers, school administrators or the students in schools with low retention rates, low graduation rates and high dropout rates are the cause of the problem.
"Nothing could be further from the truth," Balfanz said. "The teachers, administrators and students in these schools are often going to heroic lengths to succeed despite long odds."
Balfanz, instead, blamed the intended and unintended consequences of policies implemented by city, state and federal governments, which create schools that are under-resourced, over-challenged and non-supported.
"By no means was this report intended to place the blame on school administrators and teachers," Maushard said. "The goal of the study was to simply highlight a growing problem the country faces."
The report labeled five of Baltimore City's 28 high schools as "dropout factories".
A "dropout factory" is a school in which every year, a significant number of under-prepared and disengaged students enter the ninth grade and struggle to succeed.
"These students become further disengaged, stop attending on a regular basis, fail two or more courses, do not earn promotion to the 10th grade, try again the next year, do no better, likely transfer to another regular school or alternative school, fail to succeed again, and having become over-aged and under-credited and worn down through years of struggle, drop out of school," Balfanz said.
"The process is repetitive, mechanical, and continuous - hence, factory-like."
High schools and vocational schools earn the "dropout factory" label when they graduate less than 60 percent of their freshman class.
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