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W: Each year, approximately one million students drop out of high school in the USA.  That’s roughly 7,000 every day. Tonight, we will examine some of the causes and some of the solutions. Now we have reporter Ray Suarez with us.
    M: Thank you. In addition to those who leave school without a diploma, there are millions more who are underperformers, failing classes, and falling behind.
    W: What happens when students drop out then? Are American schools any good at providing a flexible path to graduation for those who have already checked out? Are schools doing enough to grab kids with potential before failure and negative reinforcement leads them to drop out?
    M: I have interviewed several people and my guests’ lives and work make them unusually qualified to tackle those questions.
    W: What did you find out about this issue then?
    M: I agree with them on the point that we give up on kids too soon. Sometimes we want to teach to the test instead of teaching to transform. And, sometimes that comes from top-down policy.
    W: So you mean on the ground level, educators are trying genuinely to help young people out, but sometimes they’re forced to live by the standards of the test versus living by the standards of supporting young people’s development?
    M: Correct. Besides, a lot of high school students don’t even know why they’re in school.
    W: Well, sometimes, purpose is very important.
    M: So, if we don’t have purpose, if we’re not teaching young people what the purpose of school is, then they will think of school and college as this very abstract 10th planet kind of idea.
    W: So college becomes very abstract for young people sometimes. But what should we do to solve this problem?
    M: So it’s a matter of providing concrete opportunities, persistent care, persistent programming that teaches them. And, unfortunately, sometimes young people that come from poverty don’t have those parents that are examples that have gone to a four-year university, let’s say.
    W: So, because of that, I think it’s our obligation as a society to provide role models that have gone to four-year universities who can teach a more concrete example of what it means to go to college. So, mentoring is key here.
    M: Yes. In my interview, I have spoken to a lot of teachers over the last year. And high school teachers say one of the most critical moments is when they sit down with a kid with their transcript and say, you can’t finish this year. You can’t graduate with your friends.
    W: Unfortunately, we don’t have much of a safety net for those kids. So, how do we keep them engaged?
    M: I think it’s very hard. And I know from my own experience through high school you can feel in a big high school like no one is really seeing you, no one really is caring about you, the student.  You’re occupying a spot in a class. You’re either there or you’re not. And that’s the challenge because when you feel seen by the institution, by a person, at least one, it’s a strong pull. And you start to feel that they’re on your side.
    1. What do we know about students in America?
    2. What is the current situation of American schools?
    3. According to the interview, what is important to students?
    4. What should society do to make students know the meaning of going to college?
    5. How does the man feel about being in a big high school?