High school graduation rate highest since 1976
WASHINGTON (AP) - The nation's high school graduation rate is the highest since 1976, but more than a fifth of students are still failing to get their diploma in four years, the Education Department said in a study released Tuesday.
Officials said the steady rise of students completing their education is a reflection of the struggling economy and a greater competition for new jobs.
"If you drop out of high school, how many good jobs are there out there for you? None. That wasn't true 10 or 15 years ago," Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in an interview with The Associated Press.
The national dropout rate was about 3 percent overall, down from the year before. Many students who don't receive their diplomas in four years stay in school, taking five years or more to finish their coursework.
Some 3.1 million students nationwide earned their high school diplomas in the spring of 2010, with 78 percent of students finishing on time. That's the best since a 75 percent on-time graduation rate during the 1975-76 academic year.
The only better rate was 79 percent in 1969-70, a figure the department wouldn't vouch for.
There were tremendous differences among the states in 2010. Fifty-eight percent of students in Nevada and 60 percent in Washington, D.C., completed their high school education in four years. By comparison, 91 percent of students in Wisconsin and Vermont did, according to the report.
Graduation rates increased by more than a percentage point in 38 states between 2009 and 2010, the study found. Only the District of Columbia saw its graduation rates decline between by greater than a percentage point during those years.
Among the most significant factors of the increase was the dire U.S. economy after the 2008 Wall Street meltdown. During the 2009-10 academic year, unemployment ranged from 9.4 percent to 10 percent.
"When I grew up on the South Side of Chicago it wasn't great, but I had lots of friends who dropped out and they could go work in the stockyards or steel mills and they could buy a home, support a family, do OK," Duncan said.
But those jobs are gone and won't come back, he said.
California, the nation's largest public school system by enrollment, led the nation in new graduates in 2010, turning out almost 405,000. It also produced the most dropouts: almost 93,000. That translated to a rate of about 5 percent, above the national average.
During the 2009-10 academic year, some 514,000 students dropped out of high school nationwide. Still, the rate declined from 4 percent during the seven previous academic years, when data was sometimes incomplete or represented averages of states that reported figures.
Nationally, students were most likely to drop out of high school during their senior year, with roughly one in 20 quitting before graduation day. In every state, males were more likely to drop out.
Arizona had the highest dropout rate, at 8 percent, followed by Mississippi at 7 percent. Washington, D.C., schools also posted a 7 percent dropout rate, the Education Department projected based on previous years' reporting.
Mississippi, New Mexico and Wyoming had dropout rates rise more than one percentage point, while Delaware, Illinois and Louisiana saw noticeable decreases. Delaware dropped from about 5 percent to 4 percent. Illinois dropped from roughly 12 percent to 3 percent. And Louisiana dropped from 7 percent to 5 percent.
"The trends are hopeful but our high school dropout rate is still unsustainably high and it's untenable in many of our African-American and Latino communities. We have a long way to go here," Duncan said.
Nationally, white and Asian and Pacific Islander students were among the least likely to leave school without a degree, with only 2 percent dropout rates. Hispanic students posted a 5 percent dropout rate, followed by blacks at 6 percent and American Indians and Alaska Natives at 7 percent.
"There's no young person who aspires to be a high school dropout," Duncan said. "When someone drops out, it's a symptom of a problem. It's not the problem itself. Something has gone radically wrong."
Officials said the steady rise of students completing their education is a reflection of the struggling economy and a greater competition for new jobs.
"If you drop out of high school, how many good jobs are there out there for you? None. That wasn't true 10 or 15 years ago," Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in an interview with The Associated Press.
The national dropout rate was about 3 percent overall, down from the year before. Many students who don't receive their diplomas in four years stay in school, taking five years or more to finish their coursework.
Some 3.1 million students nationwide earned their high school diplomas in the spring of 2010, with 78 percent of students finishing on time. That's the best since a 75 percent on-time graduation rate during the 1975-76 academic year.
The only better rate was 79 percent in 1969-70, a figure the department wouldn't vouch for.
There were tremendous differences among the states in 2010. Fifty-eight percent of students in Nevada and 60 percent in Washington, D.C., completed their high school education in four years. By comparison, 91 percent of students in Wisconsin and Vermont did, according to the report.
Graduation rates increased by more than a percentage point in 38 states between 2009 and 2010, the study found. Only the District of Columbia saw its graduation rates decline between by greater than a percentage point during those years.
Among the most significant factors of the increase was the dire U.S. economy after the 2008 Wall Street meltdown. During the 2009-10 academic year, unemployment ranged from 9.4 percent to 10 percent.
"When I grew up on the South Side of Chicago it wasn't great, but I had lots of friends who dropped out and they could go work in the stockyards or steel mills and they could buy a home, support a family, do OK," Duncan said.
But those jobs are gone and won't come back, he said.
California, the nation's largest public school system by enrollment, led the nation in new graduates in 2010, turning out almost 405,000. It also produced the most dropouts: almost 93,000. That translated to a rate of about 5 percent, above the national average.
During the 2009-10 academic year, some 514,000 students dropped out of high school nationwide. Still, the rate declined from 4 percent during the seven previous academic years, when data was sometimes incomplete or represented averages of states that reported figures.
Nationally, students were most likely to drop out of high school during their senior year, with roughly one in 20 quitting before graduation day. In every state, males were more likely to drop out.
Arizona had the highest dropout rate, at 8 percent, followed by Mississippi at 7 percent. Washington, D.C., schools also posted a 7 percent dropout rate, the Education Department projected based on previous years' reporting.
Mississippi, New Mexico and Wyoming had dropout rates rise more than one percentage point, while Delaware, Illinois and Louisiana saw noticeable decreases. Delaware dropped from about 5 percent to 4 percent. Illinois dropped from roughly 12 percent to 3 percent. And Louisiana dropped from 7 percent to 5 percent.
"The trends are hopeful but our high school dropout rate is still unsustainably high and it's untenable in many of our African-American and Latino communities. We have a long way to go here," Duncan said.
Nationally, white and Asian and Pacific Islander students were among the least likely to leave school without a degree, with only 2 percent dropout rates. Hispanic students posted a 5 percent dropout rate, followed by blacks at 6 percent and American Indians and Alaska Natives at 7 percent.
"There's no young person who aspires to be a high school dropout," Duncan said. "When someone drops out, it's a symptom of a problem. It's not the problem itself. Something has gone radically wrong."
Perhaps it's because the requirements for graduation have been dumbed-down? The resulting "shove-em-out-the-door" should not be overlooked.
I'd love to see a comparison done between the abilities of those graduating in 76 versus those graduating now. Heck, I wonder if even a portion of those graduating now can actually read.
Portland Public school system is one of the worst in the nation for dropouts. It has a 35% drop out rate compared to the national drop out rate of 3% (according to the article). In reality Portland hides the real numbers by sending kids to alternative schools that are not accountable or considered in the data.
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2012/06/secret_route_to_dropping_out.html
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We have given them more money and getting less results. Time to change the system cause this one ain't working.
"If you drop out of high school, how many good jobs are there out there for you? None."
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That's a bunch of crap. I have two nephews who dropped out of school and both are working and making good money. One is doing HVAC work and the other is running a backhoe for a construction company. Both are making over $20 an hour.
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Hard workers are needed and a HS diploma does not make hard workers.
@RalphCramden I think that stat has less to do with the diploma than it has to do with good old fashioned work ethic. Most any employer notices hard work, dedication and desire to suceed. That kind of work ethic is rewarded. And it is disappearing along with the economy.
 @Kachina  @RalphCramden No kidding hired a friends 20+ year old son to do work around the yard at a good rate because I needed it and he needed work. Had to fire his lazy ass after just a few attempted days of work.
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Would not show up reliably and when he did got almost nothing done.
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Mom was still in denial about the problem with her son not having consistent work. She seemed to think it was just bad luck and tough times not that he son just wanted handouts from mom and to be a lazy adult.
 @FreedomRocks  @KachinaÂ
My grandsons are as lazy as they come. My daughter spoiled them rotten and now she has to deal with it.
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I won't hire them for anything. Not worth it even if they paid me. I have to redo everything they do. The oldest has gone through about 5 jobs in 6 months and was fired at every one of them. He won't say why and doesn't want to talk about it.
 @Kachina Â
Both of my nephews grew up on farms and are not afraid of hard work. My one nephew got a job right after dropping of school and was on a backhoe within a few weeks. The reason was that his dad had a backhoe and the kid was raised running it.
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The other nephew works with my brother in law and is very good and fast. He knows how to do all the calculations for spec'ing out a system and knows the codes to make sure everything is done right.
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Neither is afraid to get dirty and shake off minor cuts and bruises.
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One of my nephews just graduated college with an MBA and is working in a florist shop. He can't find a job to save his life. Six years of college totally wasted.
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You are right in that the work ethic is going away. No incentive to work hard cause there is no reward for excelling. Unions have taken that away. They want everyone to get the same money no matter how hard they work.
Could this be due to the vilified No Child Left Behind? Bush was right.
 @TimBurr Not sure but three teachers in the family who hate it and say they teach to pass tests now. Although there is no way to measure results other then tests so not sure what they think would be better...
@FreedomRocks @TimBurr Their hands are usually tied. They probably entered teaching with the bright eyed enthusiasm of making a difference, which is noble. Between the unions and the school district administration, teachers who are shining stars are held back, and the teachers who should never have been standing before a classroom are bitter and uncaring. My daughter is a teacher, and she is continually inspired by the students who were labeled as underperformers/underacheivers, and the magical moment when they "get it", something finally clicks and opens up the world of learning. I think the problem with students today is the parents who won't parent, but are quick to point fingers at everyone else for why Johnny isn't learning. And don't kid yourself, Johnny knows his parents could care less about him or how well he does in school. So Johnny loses himself in video games, hanging out with the bad kids, knowing he doesn't matter to anyone. Is this what happens to kids when the parents don't raise them and they become the responsibility of the village?Â
 @Kachina  @FreedomRocks  @TimBurr Yet the unions are not helping the kids or the good teachers...only the slackers who just want an easy paycheck for showing up and those teachers are there I have met them and heard about them from my straight A kids. Straight A's or no cell phones...works very well as a motivator.
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You are right though that way to many parents these days are only parents in name and biology with their kids raising themselves in front of Xbox COD and the TV...
What does it say about teachers unions that they had 36 straight years of failure?
 @NGerblansky It says that the priority is to keep the culture of failure in Oregon's public schools.