The great dropout debate raged on last month even as American students were celebrating their graduation from high school.
A number of different groups including nonprofits like the Manhattan Institute and publications like Education Week and Time Magazine have been reporting shocking overall dropout levels of 30%. This number can increase to almost 50% for some African-American and Hispanic populations. While states give much rosier numbers with regard to their dropout rates, the best forecast for dropouts outside of the states themselves might be the Economic Policy Institute that pegs the dropout rate between 80-83%. To get an in-depth look at the numbers problem you might want to consult this article published by the author of the Manhattan Institute’s report on dropouts, Jay Greene.
According to Education Week data the places in most need of help with dropouts are big cities. Some of the nation’s fifty largest school districts are apparently producing fewer graduates than dropouts, according to USA Today, “Among the nation's 50 largest districts, the study finds, three graduate fewer than 40%: Detroit (21.7%), Baltimore (38.5%) and New York City (38.9%).” This should not give anyone who lives in a small city or rural area any confidence that they are in any way immune from the dropout problem. We strongly urge anyone with an interest in this issue to register for free on the Education Week website and take a look at their section labeled “Diplomas Count”. In addition to the extensive data available now there will soon be a mapping tool for users. Registration is relatively quick (approximately a minute), does not require validation, and the number of questions is limited and unobtrusive.
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