Listening to New Voices Report 2009
Listening to New Voices:
Youth Voices on Staying in School & Dropout Prevention in Minnesota
Winter 2009
The staff of the Konopka Institute has issued a new report on youth attitudes and beliefs related to high school dropout prevention, retention and graduation. The report was made possible through the Minnesota Department of Education’s (MDE) Dropout Prevention, Retention, and Graduation Initiative. Facilitated by Konopka Institute staff and the Initiative Steering Committee members, 196 students across 18 Minnesota communities statewide provided input for the report on what factors create the conditions for students to drop out of school and, more importantly, what educators, community organizations and policy makers can do to better support students to stay—and thrive—in school.
PDF of Listening to New Voices Report
Why listen to youth voices?
Students spend about 20% of their waking hours at school. Making school “matter” means creating an inviting place to learn, explore and cultivate meaningful relationships that create a life-long passion for learning.
Research has shown that school connectedness is one of the most critical protective factors in the lives of young people.
Resources
Addressing the dropout issue will require cross-agency collaboration and the sustained input and participation of youth, schools, families, communities and non-government entities like foundations, businesses and places of worship. And there are resources to help:
To request a hardcopy version of the Listening to New Voices report from the Konopka Institute, e-mail ahp@umn.edu.
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