Report: High School Dropouts Blame Parental Disengagement, Teen Pregnancy

US News & World Report (11/15, Sheehy) reports in its "High School Notes" blog that according to a new report from Everest College and research firm Harris Interactive, "a lack of parental support and the challenges of teen pregnancy are among the primary factors driving students to leave high school before earning their diploma." The report showed that 23% "of high school dropouts surveyed cited lack of support and encouragement from their parents as the reason they quit school," while 21% cited having their own child as a reason. "With nearly 1.3 million students leaving high school each year, the dropout crisis is 'equivalent to a permanent recession,' and siphons close to a trillion dollars from the national economy, Tony Miller, deputy secretary of the US Department of Education, said during a panel discussion in May."