The Last Dropout: Stop the Epidemic!

by Bill Milliken, Jimmy Carter (Foreword), Rosalynn Carter (Foreword)

Did you know that we’re battling an epidemic* . . . ? • Almost one-third of all high-school students fail to graduate with their class; among minorities, the dropout rate is almost 50 percent. • Dropouts are more likely than their peers to be unemployed, live in poverty, have poor health, depend upon social services, and go to jail. • The combined loss of income and revenue to the American economy from a single year’s dropouts is about $192 billion. *From The Silent Epidemic (Bridgeland, Dilulio, and Morrison, 2006) But there is a solution to the dropout crisis that is proven, effective, replicable, and sustainable! Communities In Schools (CIS) reaches more than one million at-risk students and their families annually in more than 3,000 American schools. These kids would fall far below the national average for every measure of student success. Yet 98 percent of CIS-tracked students stayed in school. Why? What makes the difference? The Last Dropout offers nine key principles that Communities In Schools has tested over three decades. Interwoven are the dramatic life stories of CIS founder Bill Milliken and his colleagues, a journey that began in the turbulent 1960s as youth workers with a spiritual mission struggled to turn around the lives of dropouts and addicts. It traces the evolution of the CIS movement from a handful of groundbreaking “street academies” to a national network of hundreds of local affiliates. The Last Dropout also features stories about how CIS leaders have adopted these principles in their own communities, with stunning results!

Genres: Education

241 pages, Hardcover

First published September 18, 2007

Reviews

[Elizabeth Severance · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bill Milliken started Communities In Schools, the organization I work for and so in essence it's very informative, but it isn't geared towards people who are already working on stopping the drop out epidemic. I found this aspect slightly frustrating as at one point he mentions how one of his friends got him a meeting with Carter but then when Carter lost reelection, he was just introduced to Barbara Bush and so he told her all about the program. That just doesn't happen to real people. I was slightly disappointed as I was hoping for more informational aspects or a little more insight at how he started the program, not that he had this friend who happened to be friends with this one guy who happened to be president of Morgan Stanley. Though, if you any of y'all know the president of Morgan Stanley and you want to set up a meeting...

[Shawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent model for community-based provision of social services, surrounding the schoolhouse as a focal point. Strengthens the argument for collaboration between government (schools/services) and nonprofits (services) in order to repair the social fabric that is often damaged by our increasingly mobile and financially independent society.

[Steven McCullough · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book by Bill Milliken. Puts the work of CIS in context of the good and bad of education in America.

Academics alone don't solve the dropout epidemic. Strong community engagement and a system that leverage caring adults makes a difference.

[Hope · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic non-fiction book about the dropout epidemic in America...

[Nick DiColandrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about how communities can stop the drop-out crisis. Its a little heavy on events and policy, but a great read never-the-less.

[Stacey]

I own it

[Smash]

Excellent read. So happy to be part of this organization's future goals!

[Storey Clayton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great description of an excellent approach to turning educational outcomes around in this country!