and by tfrontline journalism fund, with grantsa1 from susan hunter and douglas watson, and scott nathan and laura debonis. major funding for "dropout nation" is provided by american graduate: let's make it happen, a public media initiative made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. >> (on intercom): good morning, apollos! today is day 109. it is thursday, february 2. at this time, we ask that you stand as we honor america and texas with our pledges. >> c'mon, guys, straight to 140, you're late. detention, you've got to get to school on time. stop, don't even try it. go to 140. make sure black adidas jacket with white stripes down the sleeves comes in there. he's trying to escape. uh-uh! our attendance is really low, and so we're trying to do whatever it takes to get them to know that it's important to be here for homeroom, first period, second period, every period. >> ids, have them out. >> we're a school of about 1,300 kids. we're mostly hispanic and african american, but the common denominator is poverty. our kids come from some pretty crappy conditions in and around ho

and by tfrontline journalism fund, with grantsa1 from susan hunter and douglas watson, and scott nathanand laura debonis. major funding for "dropout nation" is provided by american graduate: let's make it happen, a public media initiative made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org >> for more on this and other frontline programs, visit our website at pbs.org/frontline. frontline"dropout nation" is available on dvd. to order, visit shoppbs.org or call 1-800-play-pbs. frontline is also available for download on itunes. [ female announcer ] they can be enlightening. hey, bro. or engaging. conversations help us learn and grow. at wells fargo, we believe you can never underestimate the power of a conversation. it's this exchange of ideas that helps you move ahead with confidence. because an open dialogue is what opens doors. if you need anything else, let me know. [ female announcer ] wells fargo. together we'll go far. [ female announcer ] wells fargo. announcer: the following is a pbs election 2012 special presentation.