Even as the nation’s high school graduation rate remains flat & too many students drop out, most states are failing to take actions to reverse this troubling pattern & in turn help more students attend & succeed in college. The report released by Jobs for the Future (JFF) gives state policymakers a detailed framework for helping all students persevere & succeed in & beyond high school. It also highlights more than 20 states & school districts that are already raising standards and graduation rates.
The report, Raising Graduation Rates in an Era of High Standards: Five Commitments for State Action, calls on states to exercise crucial leadership, especially for low-income students, who are more likely than their more affluent peers to drop out of high school or be unprepared for college & work. The United States must explore & implement strategies that help more students complete high school & succeed in college if the nation is going to remain competitive in an increasingly demanding global marketplace.
“For the sake of our students and our nation, we urge state policymakers to review the recommendations in this report and commit to implementing them as soon as possible,” said Marlene B. Seltzer, JFF’s president and CEO. “In doing so, states can raise graduation rates without compromising high college- and work-readiness standards and take a critical step to improving the economic prospects of our citizenry and our nation as a whole.”
Today, just 65% of low-income students earn a high school diploma, & only 21% of those graduates are adequately prepared for college-level work, the report notes. By comparison, more than 90% of middle- and upper-class students graduate, & 54% are prepared for college.
“The nation’s schools are falling behind & America’s students, particularly low-income & minority students, are not prepared to compete in the global economy,” said former Colorado Gov. Roy Romer. “We are facing a national crisis that can only be solved with strong leadership. I urge all citizens to send a message to their state leaders: Tell them America’s failing schools are a detriment to America’s economic standing & demand action now.”
The report comes out of a joint project between JFF & Achieve, Inc. JFF is working to help states identify & implement aggressive policies to help more young people—particularly those from low-income families & low-performing schools—stay in school as states ratchet up academic standards & expectations. Several such examples that are being used today are highlighted in this report.
Drawing on a growing body of research & innovative practices, as well as recent actions by states to support the twin goals of college readiness & graduation, Jobs for the Future’s new report urges states to adopt five commitments:
1. Create a high school diploma that signifies college- and work-readiness. While a number of factors can affect whether a student completes college, completion of a high-intensity & high-quality program of study has a significant impact on the later success of low-income & minority students. State policymakers need to develop ways to monitor course content, student achievement, & course-taking patterns while also encouraging opportunities for innovation at the local level. Dual enrollment & other forms of college course-taking in high school should be considered.
2. Establish pathways to high school graduation & college for overage, undercredited, & out-of-school youth. Lawmakers have the unique ability to create the conditions that allow for & foster new models for helping these students. In addition to highly skilled teachers & leaders, school developers often need charter-like conditions such as low enrollments, academic rigor, & other factors that give them the flexibility to do what is necessary to best serve their pupils.
3. Turn around low-performing high schools. America’s “dropout factories,” a mere 15% of public high schools, produce more than half of the dropouts & have proven immune to several generations of reform. States must identify these schools, & then create the conditions, capacity, & resources to turn them around.
4. Increase the emphasis on graduation rates & college-readiness in the next generation of accountability. High school graduation rates & college preparation are often overlooked in the current focus on improving student test scores. In order to make these factors an integral part of the next wave of accountability, states should set clear targets for progress & develop an expanded set of indicators for holding high schools accountable for their graduation rates.
5. Provide early & continuous support for struggling students. High school dropouts do not develop overnight. Indeed, research has identified specific “early warning” indicators, such as sporadic attendance & failing core academic classes in middle school or 9th grade. States need to support districts’ efforts to gather & act on this data before it is too late.
Here are some of the state-led reform efforts that JFF highlights as already following its framework for success:
· Oregon’s Alternative Education Policies: Under state law, all school districts are required to provide alternative learning options for students. These options must be flexible with regard to environment, time, structure, & pedagogy.
· North Carolina’s “Learn and Earn” Schools: Students in the state’s “Learn and Earn” high schools can earn both a high school diploma & up to 2 years of college credit or an associate degree, tuition free.
· Florida’s Requirements for Low-Performing Schools: Low-performing schools that repeatedly fail to make progress are subject to a state-imposed reform plan that requires school districts to take action on 26 reform measures.
· Louisiana’s Graduation Index: Education leaders developed an accountability system that creates incentives for high schools to both keep students enrolled until they graduate & provide a rigorous curriculum through their senior year.
Raising Graduation Rates in an Era of High Standards: Five Commitments for State Action was written by Adria Steinberg, associate vice president, & Cheryl Almeida, program director.