- Graduation rate worse than thought, By Ry Rivard, January 12, 2010, Charleston Daily Mail: “One of every four West Virginia high school students doesn’t graduate within four years, if ever, according to a study by the Legislative Auditor’s Office. The audit, presented Monday to lawmakers, also found a connection between large high schools and lower graduation rates. In a review of the state Department of Education, auditors recalculated the state graduation rate for 2007-2008 using a new federal standard and found the state school system is doing worse than previously reported at producing high school graduates. The education department had reported the graduation rate as about 85 percent. Under the new calculations by the auditors, it was likely about 75 percent. That rate has been flat for the past decade, so is likely still about the same…”
- Indiana’s High school graduation rates rising, By Andy Gammill, January 8, 2010, Indianapolis Star: “The percentage of students in Indiana’s class of 2009 who graduated in four years increased nearly 4 points over the class of 2008. Marion County — where most districts have significant dropout problems — mirrored the increase. State education officials said the increase was good news and demonstrated hard work by leaders at the state and local levels but also said that too many children still are dropping out or otherwise not earning a high school diploma. Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett has set a goal that 90 percent of the state’s students graduate from high school in four years…”
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty