Project Recovery Locates 2,387 ‘Dropouts

The district’s Project Recovery, which identifies, locates and works with “missing” students, has brought 2,387 students back to our schools this year, or identified them as students who have transferred to another school. The program works with school sites to identify students who are registered but have not been attending school – a key dropout rate indicator. Project Recovery successfully brings students back to school and allows for a more accurate dropout rate to be reported to state and federal agencies.
The Project Recovery team includes central office staff, attendance clerks and other school staff members who diligently work to investigate every “missing” student. Staff members make phone calls and visit neighbors and family members to track down students. In a majority of cases, students have moved to another district and the new district has created new (tracking code) numbers for those students, rather than using the number assigned to them while at San Diego Unified.
Students identified as dropouts receive individual support and guidance, including counseling, transfer to a new school and independent study. Although the district is pleased to report statistical improvements in our dropout rate, the most important measure of success is having each of our students earn a high school diploma.
This year, there are still 835 students to locate, down from more than 1,800 last year. This collective effort is just one of many district programs aimed at supporting and reconnecting students with our schools. For more information, please contact Nellie Meyer, executive director, Dropout Prevention, at (619) 725-7388.

For more district news, subscribe to the Superintendent's Friday Notes.