WASHINGTON - The Senate has passed a bill that includes $10 million for Education Department grants that could help Nevada prevent students from dropping out of high school.
The money will go to states and school districts willing to establish dropout prevention programs. It is targeted toward minorities and regions in South and West, where dropout rates are highest.
Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., added the money to the spending bill that funds the departments of labor, health and human services, and education.
''They need help. They're not doing it on their own,'' Reid said Friday. Nationwide, ''We have 3,000 kids dropping out of school every day.''
Numbers for Nevada's dropout rate differ among various studies, but almost all put it in the top three.
The Senate bill will now go to a conference committee with the House, where final legislation will be drafted for the president's desk.