Graduation Rate
Twenty years ago, the nation’s governors met with President George H.W. Bush in what was billed as the first and only education summit in the country. At that meeting, they set several national education goals, one of which called for increasing the national high school graduation rate to 90 percent by 2000.
With only about 70 percent of students graduating on time with a high school diploma, we are not even close to achieving that goal.
We need to revive the goal of a 90 percent graduation rate and get as close as we can to meeting that goal over the next five years. Fortunately, we have the knowledge to achieve this goal; we just need the commitment and the resources to get it done.
Two thousand high schools are responsible for the majority of dropouts in our country. These schools are in every state and collectively serve more than a third of the nation’s African-American and Hispanic students.
In addition to knowing the problem schools, we can also identify with a high degree of certainty which students will enter high school at-risk for dropping out. If a student has missed a number of days of school, has failed courses in reading or math, has been in trouble at school, and hasn’t been promoted to the next grade on time, we know that this child is not likely to graduate with a high school diploma.
Research shows we can improve student attendance and behavior if we restructure schools into smaller, more personalized learning environments that create conditions for success. When the size of the school is reduced, benefits become apparent quickly. Student attendance improves, and at the same time there is a decline in incidences of alcohol and tobacco use, as well as crime, violence, and gang participation. Teachers spend less time maintaining order and more time teaching, and students experience a greater sense of belonging and are more satisfied with their schools.
Getting students to show up to school and keeping them engaged is just the first step. Improving student outcomes is the second step. Schools that change their structure and add instructional improvements have been successful in raising student achievement and increasing graduation rates. These improvements include a high-quality curriculum, math and English courses to help struggling students transition to high school, and ongoing professional training and coaching for teachers.
With only about 70 percent of students graduating on time with a high school diploma, we are not even close to achieving that goal.
We need to revive the goal of a 90 percent graduation rate and get as close as we can to meeting that goal over the next five years. Fortunately, we have the knowledge to achieve this goal; we just need the commitment and the resources to get it done.
Two thousand high schools are responsible for the majority of dropouts in our country. These schools are in every state and collectively serve more than a third of the nation’s African-American and Hispanic students.
In addition to knowing the problem schools, we can also identify with a high degree of certainty which students will enter high school at-risk for dropping out. If a student has missed a number of days of school, has failed courses in reading or math, has been in trouble at school, and hasn’t been promoted to the next grade on time, we know that this child is not likely to graduate with a high school diploma.
Research shows we can improve student attendance and behavior if we restructure schools into smaller, more personalized learning environments that create conditions for success. When the size of the school is reduced, benefits become apparent quickly. Student attendance improves, and at the same time there is a decline in incidences of alcohol and tobacco use, as well as crime, violence, and gang participation. Teachers spend less time maintaining order and more time teaching, and students experience a greater sense of belonging and are more satisfied with their schools.
Getting students to show up to school and keeping them engaged is just the first step. Improving student outcomes is the second step. Schools that change their structure and add instructional improvements have been successful in raising student achievement and increasing graduation rates. These improvements include a high-quality curriculum, math and English courses to help struggling students transition to high school, and ongoing professional training and coaching for teachers.
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