Fight Crime: Invest in Kids California - Dropout Prevention Report

DROPOUT PREVENTION REPORT

School or the Streets:
Crime and California's Dropout Crisis

LAW ENFORCEMENT CALLS FOR SCHOOL DROPOUT REFORMS
TO PREVENT 500 MURDERS A YEAR
Over 200 Police Chiefs, Sheriffs, District Attorneys and Victims of Violence Ask
Governor to Boost Public Safety with Proven Dropout-Prevention Programs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE.

Pasadena, CA, December 13-Calling California's high dropout rate a major public safety issue, Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca and other local law enforcement leaders unveiled a new report that links low graduation rates with violent crimes such as homicide and aggravated assault.

The findings, which Sheriff Baca released Thursday at Blair High School in Pasadena, show that increasing graduation rates by 10 percentage points would lower homicide and assault rates by 20 percent and prevent 500 murders and more than 20,000 aggravated assaults each year in California. Currently, an estimated one in three California high school students does not graduate from high school on time.

The report, titled School or the Streets: Crime and California's Dropout Crisis, was released by FIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS California, a bipartisan organization comprising hundreds of police chiefs, sheriffs, district attorneys and violence survivors.

"We can't arrest our way out of the crime problem, but we can educate our way to a safer community," said Los Angeles County Sheriff Baca. "The key is getting kids started on the right track as early as possible, and then making sure the schools do what's needed to help them succeed and graduate."

The findings prompted FIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS to send a letter to the Governor signed by over 200 police chiefs, sheriffs, district attorneys and victims of violence. Citing the public safety risks resulting from high dropout rates, the law enforcement leaders and crime survivors declare there is an "urgent need to act now" to reform California's education system and encourage increased investment in two examples of intervention programs with proven success-high school small learning communities and high-quality preschool programs.

The report finds that California is not doing enough to turn around low graduation rates. Despite research showing that small learning communities at high schools with student and family advisors increase graduation rates by 16 percentage points, only one high school in the entire state is implementing a proven small learning communities model. Even the state's promising small learning communities program that studies suggest may improve dropout and graduation rates-the career-themed California Partnership Academies-is available at only one out of five high schools statewide. Small learning communities use a "school within a school" educational setting to provide the personalized benefits of smaller schools.

Meanwhile, high-quality preschool, which is also proven to boost graduation rates, is denied to hundreds of thousands of low-income children who are priced out of quality private programs and face long waiting lists for publicly-funded preschools.

"Those of us on the front lines fighting crime place a high priority on education," said Sacramento County District Attorney Jan Scully. "Far too often, today's dropouts are tomorrow's criminals."

In addition to showing a link between graduation rates and violent crime, the report also noted that high school dropouts are over three times more likely than graduates to be arrested and eight times as likely to go to jail or prison. Nationwide, 68 percent of state prison inmates do not have a high school diploma.

The report highlights research showing that California's dropout crisis damages California's economy, in addition to threatening public safety. According to data released in August by the California Dropout Research Project: dropouts earn less, pay fewer taxes, and are more likely to collect welfare and turn to crime; for each year's worth of dropouts, California suffers billions of dollars in economic losses over time, including $12 billion in crime costs alone; and every dollar invested in programs proven to increase graduation rates will return a long-term savings to taxpayers of $2 to $4.

"Too frequently the path that leads to failure in school also leads to a life of crime and violence. Creating opportunities for kids to stay on track and stay in school will keep our communities safe and our kids out of jail," said Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer.

FIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS California is a bipartisan, anti-crime organization led by more than 350 sheriffs, police chiefs, district attorneys and victims of violence. Its mission is to find what really works to keep kids from becoming criminals. Among the strategies proven to be effective are early care and education programs for preschoolers, after-school and dropout-prevention programs, interventions for juvenile offenders, and child abuse prevention programs.

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Dropout Prevention Report (1 MB)
Executive Summary

County-by-county Chart: Violent crime that would be prevented by an increase in graduation rates
County-by-county Data: Percentage of high schools with proven or promising small learning communities

Letter to the Governor Signed by 200 Law Enforcement Leaders & Crime Victims
List of Co-Signatories of Letter to the Governor by County

Statewide Press Release

Localized Press Releases and Co-Signatories of Letter to the Governor