U.S. schools fight to keep students amid fear of dropout surge
By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH, Associated Press
Published: May 11, 2021, 2:30pm
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A student walks between classes at Wyandotte High School in Kansas City, Kan., on the first day of in-person learning Wednesday, March 30, 2021. The school, like other schools nationwide, has made extra efforts to keep kids at risk of dropping out engaged as classes went virtual due to the pandemic. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)Photo Gallery
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — U.S. educators are doing everything they can to track down high school students who stopped showing up to classes and to help them get the credits needed to graduate, amid an anticipated surge in the country’s dropout rate during the coronavirus pandemic.
There isn’t data available yet on how the pandemic has affected the nation’s overall dropout rate — 2019 is the last year for which it is available — and many school officials say it’s too early to know how many students who stopped logging on for distance learning don’t plan to return.
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