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University of Wisconsin–Madison
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty

Tag: Graduation rates

US High School Dropout Rate

  • The nation’s high school dropout rate has fallen, study says, By Emma Brown, November 10, 2015, Washington Post: “The U.S. high school dropout rate has fallen in recent years, with the number of dropouts declining from 1 million in 2008 to about 750,000 in 2012, according to a new study to be released Tuesday. The number of ‘dropout factories’ — high schools in which fewer than 60 percent of freshmen graduate in four years — declined significantly during the same period, according to the study by a coalition of education groups…”
  • Report: Quarter-million more students now graduate from H.S. each year, By Greg Toppo, November 10, 2015, USA Today: “About a quarter-million more students graduated from high school in 2012 than four years earlier, new research shows, with the number of ‘dropout factories’ — high schools that persistently graduate fewer than 60% of students — cut in half since 2008. U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan welcomed the findings, saying that poorly performing high schools have been ‘failing generations of students…'”

US High School Graduation Rates

Why US high school graduation rates are on the rise, By Story Hinckley, October 20, 2015, Christian Science Monitor: “High school graduation rates are rising in most states, according to new data. Moreover, the traditional graduation gaps between white and minority students are shrinking, according to a report released Monday from the US Department of Education. Advocates of recent federal testing and polling standardization say the numbers indicate education reforms are working…”

Foster Children and High School Graduation – California

In Hollywood, foster care students try to finish high school, By Christine Armario (AP), June 6, 2015, San Jose Mercury News: “Tucked below the Hollywood sign, on a street where tourists stop to pose for pictures, is Beachwood House, a pale blue two-story home for foster kids without one. It’s known as the place you go if you are good.  There is no high-security, gated entrance. No 24-hour psychiatrist on staff. Instead, teenagers considered stable and who haven’t been adopted or placed in a suitable individual home get the sort of care a mom or dad might provide: Allowances, tutors and transportation to school…”