BILL NUMBER: SCR 50CHAPTERED BILL TEXT RESOLUTION CHAPTER 82 FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE AUGUST 20, 2013 ADOPTED IN SENATE AUGUST 15, 2013 ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY JULY 3, 2013 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JULY 3, 2013 INTRODUCED BY Senator Hueso (Principal coauthors: Senators Beall, Cannella, Correa, Leno, Liu, and Wright) (Coauthors: Assembly Members Alejo, Brown, Buchanan, Campos, Dickinson, Lowenthal, Allen, Atkins, Bigelow, Bloom, Bonilla, Bonta, Bradford, Ian Calderon, Chau, Chesbro, Conway, Cooley, Dahle, Daly, Eggman, Fong, Fox, Frazier, Beth Gaines, Garcia, Gatto, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Gorell, Gray, Grove, Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Roger Hernndez, Jones, Levine, Linder, Logue, Maienschein, Mansoor, Medina, Melendez, Mitchell, Morrell, Mullin, Muratsuchi, Nazarian, Nestande, Olsen, Patterson, John A. Prez, V. Manuel Prez, Quirk, Rendon, Salas, Skinner, Stone, Wagner, Waldron, Weber, Wieckowski, Wilk, and Yamada) JUNE 4, 2013 Relative to Dropout Recovery Week. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SCR 50, Hueso. Dropout Recovery Week. This measure would declare the week of August 4, 2013, to August 10, 2013, inclusive, to be Dropout Recovery Week, and would state the Legislature's intent to encourage the support of dropout recovery high schools with creative teaching strategies, alternative assessments, and adequate resources. WHEREAS, Research suggests that fewer than 73 percent of 9th grade pupils in California, and in some school districts fewer than 50 percent, graduate from high school; and WHEREAS, Research by the Alliance for Excellent Education concludes that if only one-half of the dropouts from a single year were to earn a diploma, the economic benefits to California would be staggering: those recovered dropouts would earn an additional $1.4 billion each year, increase home sales by $4.5 billion during their careers, support an additional 8,700 jobs to the midpoint of their careers, and increase state and local tax revenues by $167 million every year; and WHEREAS, Research further shows that reengaged learners demonstrate higher civic engagement, contribute to the cultural strengths of their communities, and are significantly less likely to be unemployed, on public assistance, or arrested for a violent crime; and WHEREAS, There exist dropout recovery high schools in California that provide significant social, economic, and academic benefits to their pupils and to California's population as a whole by reenrolling over 23,000 former dropouts; and WHEREAS, Dropout recovery high schools face significant challenges in reengaging pupils, including: (1) dropouts often perform significantly below grade level; (2) dropouts suffer years of academic and behavioral difficulties, absenteeism, and stressful life circumstances; and (3) pupils who have dropped out once are significantly more likely to drop out again; and WHEREAS, Research by WestEd found that one-half of the dropouts who return to school stay for one year or less, one-third of returning dropouts fail to complete even one course after they reenroll, and as few as 18 percent of returning dropouts graduate; and WHEREAS, Successful dropout recovery high schools utilize multiple strategies, including state-of-the-art technology, career technical education to reach a variety of learning modalities, accelerated learning pedagogies, competency-based, rather than seat-time-based, instruction, and open entry and open exit enrollment; and WHEREAS, Successful dropout recovery high schools attract and retain high-quality staff committed to meeting the instructional needs of the whole pupil and transforming their pupils from being at risk of failure to being successful; now, therefore, be it Resolved, by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby declares the week of August 4, 2013, to August 10, 2013, inclusive, to be Dropout Recovery Week, in honor of the schools and staff who work to reengage pupils who have previously dropped out of school, and in honor of the pupils who have overcome significant personal challenges to reengage in high school and become transformed learners who continue to pursue education in preparation for college and a future career; and be it further Resolved, That the Legislature intends to encourage the support of dropout recovery high schools with creative teaching strategies, alternative assessments, and adequate resources; and be it further Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.