Web 2.0 Tools and Dropout Rates

This year the Los Angeles Unified School District started a new initiative entitled MyFutureMyDecision: utilizing Web 2.0 Technology such as Myspace and You Tube, along with POWER 160 a local radio station and text messenging to aid in decreasing their dropout rate. The district hopes that this new endeavor will reach students through a medium they know and utilize daily. Myspace and You Tube will feature former dropouts sharing why they returned to school and the benefits they are now experiencing because they returned. Along with allowing those who may be at risk of dropping out to voice their concerns in hopes to keep them in the school system. The project also features counselors who target at-risk students in hopes of retaining them before dropping out. Once a student decides to remain in the system or returns to the system, Web 2.0 technology is being utilized to offer online courses for those who may have to work or do not feel equipped to return to a traditional school setting. Will these efforts retain students or bring back those who have already left? The answers may not yet be clear but the potential benefits are numerous.