The work, researched and written by those who have dropped out of district schools or transferred to disciplinary schools, was drawn from interviews with dropouts, teachers, and administrators, and from focus groups.
Many students dropped out for reasons similar to Rodriguez's, according to the report.
Over half of 267 students surveyed said they dropped out because they were bored or unengaged at school; had problems with teaching and learning; or had issues with an uneven School District discipline system that focuses too much on minor infractions.
More than half said that out-of-school reasons, such as pregnancy or family trouble, contributed to their leaving school.
Many students said class sizes - which can be as large as 33 students - are too big for effective learning, and that there are not enough tutoring, counseling, one-on-one attention, or extracurricular activities in city schools.
The report also takes aim at the School District's reliance on suspending students.
"Actually help them," one dropout said in the report. "Just because you suspend them doesn't mean it's going to be over [and] they're going to come back in a week and everything is going to be OK."
Associate Superintendent Tomas Hanna said the School District has focused on lowering out-of-school suspensions, with a 16 percent reduction over the last four years, from 12,590 to 10,588.
He said the district was "delighted" to hear student voices and would continue to include them in high-level discussions about issues such as school safety and reform.
But more needs to be done, Hanna said in an interview.
"Some of what we're seeing is unacceptable," he said. "It's not the kind of environment we want in our schools."
