The number of high school age students who do not complete high school is receiving increased attention as a serious challenge facing the educational system. This is happening for several reasons. New research estimates that about 30 percent of high school students fail to earn a diploma in the standard number of years, a higher figure than state and local education officials typically cite. In many states, barely half of African-Americans and Latinos graduate from high school. The magnitude of the challenge is becoming clear at the same time that a consensus is emerging that education beyond high school is critical to economic self-sufficiency and success in today's knowledge-intensive economy. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that 60 percent of jobs created between now and 2010 will require at least some postsecondary education. In the emerging economy, a high school dropout or a young person who earns a GED, but no further postsecondary credential, has extremely few opportunities for a family-supporting career. Addressing the dropout crisis will require responding to a dual challenge: state education systems must promote and support both dropout prevention strategies and dropout recovery efforts. This brief describes current practice in both prevention and recovery, highlighting promising approaches in each area that can help reduce stubbornly high dropout rates. It concludes with several suggestions for how state policymakers can help promote a more systemic approach to the dropout crisis.

Despite efforts to improve the high school graduation rate in the United States, an estimated 7,200 students drop out of high school every day -- a staggering 1.3 million every year. Further, a recent report by the Center on Education and the Workforce at Georgetown University projects that by 2020, nearly 65 percent of U.S. jobs will require at least some college education, out of reach for those who are unable to earn a high school diploma. Much more comprehensive alternative education programs are needed that put dropouts and students at risk of dropping out on a path to earn high school diplomas while also providing them with the academic skills and support necessary to be successful in their postsecondary pursuits.

This study explores the lived experiences of people with criminal justice histories as they attend and contemplate enrolling in college. The report highlights the journeys of these students and considers a number of important questions: What does it take for people with criminal justice histories to successfully transform the trajectory of their lives? What are the obstacles they face? What affirmative steps can we take to make our public and private colleges and universities more welcoming to this growing population of students?

New York City's College Access and Success Initiative (CAS) focuses on improving the odds of success for young people who have graduated from failing high schools, are recent immigrants, or who have dropped out and then attained a GED. Begun in 2004, it demonstrates how colleges and community organizations can integrate education and youth development to improve student success. CAS brings together: (1) The New York City College of Technology--City Tech--is a college within the City University of New York system; (2) The Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation is a community-based organization that provides housing development and human services in East New York; and (3) The Youth Development Institute, an intermediary, develops, supports, and assesses practice and policy innovations in New York City and nationally. A predecessor to this report, "Building a Better Bridge," by Michael Chavez Reilly (2008), describes the experiences of students and staff in the early stages of CAS. This report describes the initiative's key components as they have evolved over five years. It explores the practices, challenges, and policy implications of this innovative programming. The two reports seek to build understanding of: (1) The needs and strengths of young people who are underrepresented in higher education and who too rarely complete a credential; and (2) The ways that youth development organizations and colleges--institutions that rarely work together and that have differing strengths, sizes, and professional cultures--can collaborate to improve student success. The results are encouraging. According to data from the college, CAS students have graduated from City Tech at more than twice the rate of their peers from the same community in East New York, and 75 percent of the graduates have gone on to Bachelor's programs.

Pathways to Postsecondary Opportunities are the range of options created across education institutions, training providers, and community-­based organizations so that each and every young person can access the necessary and personally relevant credentials, skills, and training beyond the completion of a secondary credential that will propel him/her to long-­term economic success and self-sufficiency. With support, the American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) documented pathways to postsecondary opportunities in the state of Connecticut for the most vulnerable youth with a special focus on those involved in the juvenile justice system. Through the reporting, it is the hope that Connecticut's policymakers, advocates, and others will feel a renewed sense of focus and urgency to acknowledge and invest in this population with a deeper understanding of the options and challenges. In this report, AYPF will present a portrait of the population and the barriers they face. From conversations and site visits, the reporters provide a portrait of common evidence-based practices and structures contributing to the development of pathways to postsecondary opportunity. The concluding sections articulate the role of state policy to continue to build and sustain pathways to postsecondary opportunities for these young people. The following charts are appended: (1) Opportunity Youth Details; and (2) Potential Barriers Details.

Pathways to Postsecondary Opportunities are the range of options created across education institutions, training providers, and community-­based organizations so that each and every young person can access the necessary and personally relevant credentials, skills, and training beyond the completion of a secondary credential that will propel him/her to long-­term economic success and self-sufficiency. With support, the American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) documented pathways to postsecondary opportunities in the state of Connecticut for the most vulnerable youth with a special focus on those involved in the juvenile justice system. Through the reporting, it is the hope that Connecticut's policymakers, advocates, and others will feel a renewed sense of focus and urgency to acknowledge and invest in this population with a deeper understanding of the options and challenges. In this report, AYPF will present a portrait of the population and the barriers they face. From conversations and site visits, the reporters provide a portrait of common evidence-based practices and structures contributing to the development of pathways to postsecondary opportunity. The concluding sections articulate the role of state policy to continue to build and sustain pathways to postsecondary opportunities for these young people. The following charts are appended: (1) Opportunity Youth Details; and (2) Potential Barriers Details.

Out of 38.9 million Americans who fall into the 16-24 age range, approximately 6.7 million are Opportunity Youth--youth neither in school nor working--who face more pronounced barriers to success. This report shows how programs and policies in two states, Connecticut and Michigan, are responding to the need for postsecondary pathways, especially for this most vulnerable population. American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) defined Opportunity Youth and their needs in both states, and surveyed the landscape of programs and policies that connect them to postsecondary opportunities. Interviews with local service providers, state agency staff, advocacy organizations, non-profits, and others provide documentation of the range of supports available to Opportunity Youth. AYPF's study of Opportunity Youth in Connecticut and Michigan provides the basis for recommendations of proven methods and structures shown to help youth fulfill their potential at a postsecondary level.

Out of 38.9 million Americans who fall into the 16-24 age range, approximately 6.7 million are Opportunity Youth--youth neither in school nor working--who face more pronounced barriers to success. This report shows how programs and policies in two states, Connecticut and Michigan, are responding to the need for postsecondary pathways, especially for this most vulnerable population. American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) defined Opportunity Youth and their needs in both states, and surveyed the landscape of programs and policies that connect them to postsecondary opportunities. Interviews with local service providers, state agency staff, advocacy organizations, non-profits, and others provide documentation of the range of supports available to Opportunity Youth. AYPF's study of Opportunity Youth in Connecticut and Michigan provides the basis for recommendations of proven methods and structures shown to help youth fulfill their potential at a postsecondary level.