Dropout factories

A recent California study by the Harvard University Civil Rights Project called high schools with graduation rates under 60 percent "dropout factories". Then there's Oakland...

Fewer than half the freshmen who enter Oakland public high schools - - just 48 of every 100 -- stick around long enough to graduate.

The study estimated that dropouts cost the state $14 billion a year in lost wages, crime and jail time.

"It's astounding and unconscionable," said Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown. "It's a crisis that's been going on for decades. Oakland is trying hard. They need money. They need leadership. It's quite daunting, and it's going to require a lot more truth-telling and honesty than has been forthcoming in recent decades."

Jerry Brown, who is wrapping up his second term as Oakland mayor was certainly quick to point out that the problem is older than his tenure, but didn't mention what he has done or plans to do to improve the city's high schools.