There's no one culprit

When it comes to so-called "dropout factories,' writes high school teacher Sharon May, of Hurricane, Utah, "it seems to me, the question 'What’s wrong with America’s schools?' might be better rephrased, 'What’s wrong with America’s values?'"

"What seems to be missing in the equation of students and schools is the ultimate responsibility of students for their learning," May wrote in The Salt Lake Tribune. "Students who want to learn can learn. There are too many issues involving families, the diverse needs of students, social trends and changing values to place the blame for 'dropout factories' solely on teachers... too often, today’s students do not value education, are habituated to being entertained, and have little stomach for working diligently at academic success."

Those are very fair points. But surely, between the extremes of blaming teachers and throwing our hands in the air at the incapacity of some students to learn, there must be some things we can do to attack the dropout epidemic, right? 

Of course there are: 

• In Charlottesville, N.C., school officials aren't waiting until students show signs of academic distress in high school — they're starting to identify potential dropouts as early as the first grade. That's an approach lauded by the National High School Center, which offers a free "early warning program" to schools that want to nip the problem in the smallest of buds. 

• In Columbus, Ohio, graduation coaches now track high school students' progress and try to spot potential roadblocks. Middle-school reforms are aimed at preventing students from quitting after eighth grade. And the district has increased programs for students who have fallen behind in their studies.

• In Bladenboro, N.C., high school principal Todd Finn has offered to help any dropout who lives in his district to get back into school and earn a diploma.  

• In Philadelphia, the Graduation Coach Campaign works to partner every student in the city with a supportive, knowledgeable adult who can coach them to succeed in high school. 

• And in Ms. May's home state of Utah, The American Academy (which sponsors this blog) works with school districts nationwide to re-enroll dropouts into a flexible online learning programs.

When it comes to the dropout epidemic, there is no one culprit and there is no one solution. But there is also no reason to simply attribute the problem to "America's values" and give up. There are many reasons why we're in this hole and there are many ways to dig out.