PICO steps up fight to reduce California dropout rates

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From: "PICO National Network" <news at piconetwork.org>


Tuesday, July 22, 2008

PICO steps up fight to reduce California dropout rates

Last Wednesday, for the first time ever, the California
Department of Education released accurate high school dropout
rates for every school and district in the state. And the
results are staggering - nearly one out of every four public
high school students in California does not graduate.

PICO leader Eva Vargas, from the San Diego Organizing Project,
spoke at a press conference in Los Angeles together with
California Superintendent of Public Instruction, Jack O'Connell.
Ms. Vargas, whose grandson stopped attending school this year
when he felt unsafe and disconnected from his high school, said
now is not the time to point fingers in blame, but rather, to
come together as a community for honest dialogue about what's
working and what's not working in California schools.

"Reducing the dropout rate is everyone's business and having
accurate data is an important first step," said Vargas. "As
people of faith, we believe we have an individual and a
collective responsibility to be part of the solution to
addressing the dropout issue."

Read more about what PICO affiliates across California are doing
to reduce dropout rates at http://ga3.org/ct/a7_svVd1oY5Z/
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