Students who graduate despite long odds talk a common language. Ask about their motivation and their responses are laced with a sense of responsibility:
"I decided I had to . . . "
"I knew I needed to . . . "
"I realized it wasn't helping me to . . . "
Full story

• Reform efforts focus on school structure, quality of instruction
• Shehila: Hardships fuel desire to succeed
• Arlene and Luis: Undocumented siblings embrace opportunities
• Daisy: Young mom dreams of doing what no one in her family has done
• Fabian: Future GI marches to a different drum

Shehila Daisy Tuesday's chat Two students profiled in this series chatted live with readers. Shehila spent part of high school homeless, but now she's thriving at the University of Tampa. Daisy, held back in school, pregnant at 17 and married at 18, will attend college this fall. Read the transcript See the live chat schedule

Video Bilingual Shakespeare: Luis, a senior at North High School, dreams of becoming an actor someday. He and the Shakespeare Club rehearse a bilingual version of a scene from "Romeo and Juliet." Watch the video Lincoln High's Dan Medina: A dropout once himself, Lincoln High School's Dan Medina now strives to keep kids in class -- even if that means paying a visit to a student's home. Watch the video Ditching: Why do students skip class? What happens at ditching parties? Chronic and casual ditchers hang out near East High School. Watch the video Ashley: The former honor student describes her journey from crack dealer to expectant teen mom. Watch the video Lincoln High's Fabian: Despite a fractured family, Fabian is a JROTC leader who refuses to become casualty. Watch the video Poetry slam: Is South High School's poetry slam preventing kids from dropping out? No, but it's part of a culture that keeps students tuned in. Watch the video Introduction: Why do kids drop out? Is it hard to stay in school? Students across DPS offer their perspective. Watch the video

Message board Have something to say about this series or DPS schools? Let us know your thoughts. Post a message Reader mailbags Reporters Nancy Mitchell, Holly Yettick and Burt Hubbard are answering readers' questions about this series. Ask a question Graphics Compare graduation rates, suspensions, ethnicity and more for the class of 2004 at all Denver high schools. Interactive graphic Follow all 5,633 students across five years to see if they graduated, dropped out, transferred or are still in school. Interactive graphic Other graphics Poverty and graduation GPA and graduation How attendance affects graduation Fifth-year students How suspensions affect graduation Students who are held back Neighborhood effects on graduation Low-income students Dropouts' cost to society Transfers from DPS Comparing urban districts About this series The major findings Our methodology UCD researcher Alan Davis From the editor Saturday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

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Project team

Reporters

Burt Hubbard, Nancy Mitchell, Holly Yettick, Jennifer Miller

Photographers

Rodolfo Gonzalez, Judy Walgren

Graphics

Charles Chamberlin, Sam Gibbs

Design

Stephen Miller

Copy editors

Tim Burroughs, Bruce Leaf

Photo editors

Sonya Doctorian, Janet Reeves

Online

Tim Skillern, Sonya Doctorian, Brian Maurice-Snider, Ivo Majetic

Project editor

Carol Hanner