John Brodgeland, one of the report's authors, pointed out that these kids wanted to be doctors and nurses and engineers and astronauts and then they hit the schoolhouse door and they're confronted with an environment which is not inspiring, not engaging and often disorderly and unsafe. Some had high grades and were just bored out of their minds. They found no connection between the classroom and life and their career aspirations. 　　In order to reduce the number of dropouts, John Brodgeland recommends federal, state and local efforts to offer students school options, engage parents and create early-warning systems for at-risk youths. He also calls for more accurate tracking of dropouts and consideration of raising the legal dropout age to 18.