dropout prevention

Texas' new education commissioner Michael Williams said Thursday that he is considering a new system for rating school success and he thinks it should take into account how well districts are closing the achievement gap between Anglo and minority students.

Absence of parental or educational support and becoming a parent are the two top reasons cited by respondents for dropping out of high school, according to the 2012 High School Dropouts in America survey of 513 adults aged 19 to 35.

According to a recently released report that links exposure to high-quality preschool programs to reduced crime, at-risk children and those from low-income backgrounds without access to quality early learning are more likely to be involved in violent crime, arrested, or incarcerated down the road.

The key to eradicating crime and violent behavior, say organizers with the nonprofit Fight Crime: Invest in Kids Pennsylvania, is to invest more resources in early care and child education.

Only about 13% of Hispanic 25- to 29-year-olds complete at least a bachelor's degree, compared with 39% for whites in the same age group and 53% for Asians, according to the Pew Hispanic Center.

During his sophomore year, Jose Avalos was urged by a principal to drop out of high school. The next year, his brother was told to do the same after entering the 10th grade. A third Avalos brother shared the same fate in 2009.

In school districts around the country children in grades as low as middle school are required to take a drug test before they can play sports or take part in drama or other extracurricular activities. Parental outrage has been swiftly followed by lawsuits, according to theNew York Times. States where middle schools conduct drug testing include Florida, Alabama, Missouri, West Virginia, Arkansas, Ohio, New Jersey and Texas.