The Last Dropout: Stop the Epidemic addresses one of the biggest social issues of our time, the American dropout crisis. One out of three students in the United States does not graduate from high school--creating an epidemic that will have a lasting impact on the future of our country. The Last Dropout explains how the entire community believes that together, the business, non-profit, public policy and education sectors can fix this issue and have students graduate school prepared for life.

The Last Dropout offers nine key principles that Communities In Schools has tested over three decades, principles that lead to better schools and successful kids. Chapters One through Three focus on relational principles; Chapters Four though Six focus on practical, organizational principles; and Chapters Seven through Nine focus on sustainability for the long term. Interwoven are the dramatic life stories of CIS founder Bill Milliken and his colleagues, a journey that began in the turbulent 1960s as youth workers with a spiritual mission struggled to turn around the lives of dropouts and addicts. It traces the evolution of the CIS movement from a handful of groundbreaking “street academies” to a national network of hundreds of local affiliates. The Last Dropout also features stories about how CIS leaders have adopted these principles in their own communities, with stunning results!