Los Angeles district curtails dropout-prevention program

From The Los Angeles Times: A high-profile Los Angeles school district dropout-prevention program is falling victim to budget cuts -- although top district officials insist that they'll provide a more effective program in its place. The Diploma Project is emblematic of the district's financial crisis. The 3-year-old, $10-million Diploma Project, which assigns counselors to 49 high schools and 31 middle schools, was launched in the wake of bad publicity over high dropout rates.