Dropout rates falling
Weeks into high school, Robert Struggles had forged a plan: Trudge through until he hit age 16, then drop out.
That birthday has come and gone. And he's still there.
Today, the Elk Grove Village 17-year-old with the long hair and a passion for foreign languages is a school leader -- at Vanguard, a program for kids who aren't thriving in a traditional school setting. He stays late whenever he can, joining in soccer, volleyball and a club dedicated to over-coffee chats about writing.
"I say, 'I've come this far; I may as well graduate when I can,' " he says. "I stop and think, 'Wow, I'm truly lucky.' "
Dropout rates Cook County Dupage CountyFox Valley
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