Task force to count, reclaim dropouts

When Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed a law to raise the age that teenagers can legally leave school, it was the first step toward tackling the high school dropout rate. Step two, advocates say, is nailing down how many teenagers are out of school now and then getting them to come back.

Last month, Blagojevich announced that State Board of Education Chairman Jesse Ruiz would head a new task force that focuses on re-enrolling dropouts. Other members of the task force—the result of a House Resolution passed in the spring—are legislators, Schools CEO Arne Duncan and dropout prevention and recovery advocates like Jack Wuest...