John Bridgeland Quotations

We've gone in and talked face to face with kids who have dropped out of school. What they're telling us debunks popular assumptions. The problem is solvable.

Some had high grades and were just bored out of their minds. They found no connection between the classroom and life and their career aspirations.

This survey provides strong indications that this is a problem that's solvable. The vast majority of young people who drop out can go on to graduate if provided help.

There are all these alarm bells that these young kids are sending off. More often than not, they go unheeded.

They struck us as articulate, capable. These kids wanted to be doctors and nurses and engineers and astronauts and then they hit the schoolhouse door and they're confronted with an environment which is not inspiring, not engaging and often disorderly and unsafe.

In fact, these kids cite too much freedom, which surprised us. They get to high school and all of a sudden under state law they're permitted to drop out, many of the kids know that. They want more order and rules and expectations.