Sec. 2. Findings and purposes
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Congress finds the following: In the United States today, millions of youth drop out of secondary school, fail to complete their studies, or do not graduate on time. While the United States has made slow progress in improving graduation rates, the dropout challenge remains a crisis that is impeding the Nation's ability to produce an educated workforce and succeed in the 21st century global economy. Government data shows that more than 25 percent of the Nation's students fail to complete secondary school in 4 years.
In some of the larger cities of the United States and among urban minority youth, dropout rates of 40 percent are not uncommon. According to recent research, there is an estimated 6,700,000 youth ages 16–24 who are disconnected from school and work, of which 3,400,000 are chronic, having had no attachment to school or work since age 16, and 3,300,000 are under-attached to school or work and have not progressed toward employment or postsecondary education. While disconnected youth are disproportionately male and from minority groups, substantial disconnected youth rates are found for all groups of youth.
The impact of this dropout crisis has been likened to a permanent recession for youth, and it has consequences for the economy of the United States. Disconnected youth are more likely than other youth to engage in criminal activities, become incarcerated, and rely on public systems of support. The Department of Education reports that the average secondary school dropout is associated with costs to the economy of approximately $240,000 over the individual's lifetime in terms of lower tax contributions, higher reliance on government health programs and public assistance, and higher rates of criminal activity.
Over their lifetimes, secondary school dropouts are estimated to earn $400,000 less than secondary school graduates. Further, only 37 percent of secondary school dropouts are steadily employed, and they are more than twice as likely to live in high poverty. Experts estimate that two-thirds of jobs created in the near future will require at least some postsecondary education. Education and training pathways that help youth to earn a secondary school diploma and postsecondary credentials are essential.
The purposes of this Act are— to prepare disconnected youth for a competitive future; to challenge and support young people who have dropped out of secondary school to— attain a secondary school diploma; attain a 2-year or 4-year credential from a recognized postsecondary educational institution, an industry-recognized credential, or certification from a registered apprenticeship program; and secure and succeed in a family-supporting career; and to support local community partnerships in integrating existing, and often disparate, services into a comprehensive, cross-systems dropout recovery approach.