The Last Dropout: A Model for Creating Educational Equity

By Bill Milliken

Book Overview

A revised and updated edition of an exploration into the foundational principles, impact, and real-life success stories from Communities In Schools.

Since 1977, Communities In Schools (CIS) has reached more than one million students and their families annually approximately 3,000 American schools, surrounding them with a community of support and empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.

In The Last Dropout, CIS founder Bill Milliken offers nine key principles that Communities In Schools has tested over four decades. Interwoven are his real-world life stories, a journey that began in the turbulent 1960s as a youth worker and evolved into a handful of groundbreaking "Street Academies" that became the CIS movement with a national network of hundreds of local affiliates. Milliken also shares transformative stories about how CIS leaders have adopted these principles in their own communities, with stunning results.

Milliken's guiding philosophy has been "It is relationships, not programs, that change children," and it is a principle that has served as a beacon in the movement for educational equity and success.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1401971407
• ISBN13: 9781401971403
• Release Date: November 2022
• Publisher: Hay House LLC
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

The Last Dropout: Stop the Epidemic

[[ASIN:1401919030 The Last Dropout: Stop the Epidemic!] is perhaps one of the most important books published in the last decade. Expecting the usual dry academic format, I was delighted to find this an easy flowing read filled with passion and common sense solutions to an epidemic too long ignored. I would recommend this be required reading for teachers in training, educators at all levels, business people, legislators and parents. "Today's youth is our ONLY next generation" and Milliken addresses protocols that are achievable within the next 5-10 years to wipeout this "killer of our youth".

A Great Read!

This book deserves YOU to read it. If you didn't believe you could make a difference-now you should! If you didn't know how to make that difference - now you do! With compassion and aliveness in his words, Bill Milliken's The Last Dropout brings forth the triumphs and perils that laud championing for our youth. At times, I wanted to cry, at other times I laughed, but mostly I affirmed myself to do all I can when I can for our youth. This book is training, and yet a testament to the thousands of foot soldiers disguised as site coordinators, Graduation Coaches, counselors, teachers, and businessmen, who are out there working out those five basics and doing W.I.T. (Whatever It Takes) to help kids stay in school, successfully learn and prepare for life.

A Must Read for Business and Philathrophy Organizations

This book provides a glimpse at a 30 year movement to help change public schools in America. These simple but challenging principles can help transform communities and schools to not allow kids to continue to dropout of school. You not only get to understand a national organization's plan for change, but you get a glimpse into Bill Milliken's life journey. Fabulous book!!!!!

An excellent book by a child advocate

The book is easy to read and provides valuable information every community needs to implement a community driven program such as Communities In Schools. We must provide services to children of all ages in our community that are meaningful and life changing/guiding. This book leads the way. The five basics are, indeed, what every child needs and deserves. I compliment Mr. Milliken for placing a high priority on every child's future and then showing us how to do the same.

A most inspiring book

The dropout crisis, for me, tends to get lost in the sea of overwhelming social and political troubles that clamor for attention--but this book explains exactly why we need to bring it back into our focus, and lays out the human, economic, and social costs of letting millions of kids fall through the cracks. More importantly, it tells us exactly how any one of us can help rectify the conditions that foster such a high dropout rate and be part of turning the actual lives of actual young people around. And it's a good read. Milliken's warmth, compassion, and common sense inform every page.