When it comes to dropouts, it's all (and nothing) about the numbers.

I've never met anyone who doesn't agree that even one dropout is too many.

So I think we can all agree that this argument shouldn't be about numbers.

Still, I must admit that the "return on investment" figures in a new report by the non-profit Alternative Schools Network are extremely compelling.

The report is nothing revolutionary — it simply builds on earlier efforts at quantifying the dropout epidemic's cost to our society. But the figure from the Northeastern University research team, led by economist Andrew Sum, has the potential to be a strong weapon in the fight to make this conflict more understandable to more people.

$300,000.

That's the difference in what a dropout will cost our society in additional services ($70,000, on average) versus what a high school graduate will offer (more than $230,000 in taxes) over their respective lifetimes.

Now multiply that by the 1 million (or more) individuals who fail to graduate each year. What do you get? $300 billion in new lifetime costs and lost contributions. Year after year after year.

No, this argument shouldn't be about the numbers. And it doesn't need to be. The numbers leave nothing to argue about.

We must end this epidemic.

Jason Dance is the vice president of marketing and sales for The American Academy, which works with school districts nationwide to turn dropouts into diploma holders. To learn more visit NoDropouts.com.