Building a Grad Nation
Download the
2010-2011 Update
America continues to make progress in meeting its high school dropout challenge. Leaders in education, government, nonprofits and business have awakened to the individual, social and economic costs of the dropout crisis and are working together to solve it.
Last year, we reported that the number of "dropout factories" -- those high schools that graduate 60 percent or less of their students -- had declined from 2,007 in 2002 to 1,746 in 2008. We are now able to report that from 2008 to 2009 (the most current data available), the number of dropout factory high schools decreased by an additional 112 schools to 1,634, representing an annual rate of progress approximately three times as fast as the previous period.
Building a Grad Nation:
Progress and Challenge in
Ending the High School Dropout Epidemic
America is finally confronting its high school dropout challenge. Some schools and communities across the United States have seen significant increases in high school graduation rates in recent years and have put in place the innovative schools, whole school reforms, early warning and intervention systems, and student supports that help keep more students on track. Others have languished, making little effort at all, ignoring important data, or hoping one program will address the different reasons students cite for dropping out. Because many schools and communities have successfully boosted student achievement and high school graduation rates, and many states have made significant gains, others can too. This progress should serve as a challenge to our communities, states, and nation.
Grad Nation
A Guidebook to Help Communities Tackle the Dropout Crisis
Grad Nation contains research-based guidance for addressing the dropout crisis, along with ready-to-print tools and links to additional online resources.
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Counseling at a Crossroads This survey of more than 5,300 middle school and high school counselors reveals deep concerns within the profession and sheds light on opportunities to better utilize these valuable leaders in America's schools. The frustrations and hopes of school counselors reflect the central message of this report: school counseling as a profession is at a crossroads. Despite the aspirations of counselors to effectively help students succeed in school and fulfill their dreams, the mission and roles of counselors in the education system must be more clearly defined; schools must create measures of accountability to track their effectiveness; and policymakers and key stakeholders must integrate counselors into reform efforts to maximize their impact in schools across America. Read the Report Read the Literature & Landscape Review |
On December 14, Civic Enterprises Education Policy Analyst, Mary Bruce, moderated a College Board webinar on our latest report, the 2011 National Survey of School Counselors: Counseling at a Crossroads. Watch it here. |
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In America today, one in four children fails to graduate from high school on time. Even fewer finish college. A student’s decision to drop out of high school is not a sudden act, but a slow process of disengagement over a period of years. With good research in recent years, it is clear that warning signs of dropping out are apparent well before students actually leave school, signaling the gathering storm of trouble for some as early as the elementary or initial middle grades. Research also shows that most students at risk of falling off track could graduate if they were provided with the appropriate supports early enough and those supports were sustained. |
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A GREAT DIVIDE HAS EMERGED in the United States between the education and skills of the American workforce and the needs of the nation's employers. Many of those looking for work do not have the skills required by companies looking to hire--resulting in high unemployment even as businesses desperately seek new talent. If our nation fails to bridge this gap, we will risk our ability to compete effectively on the global stage. The good news is there is broad agreement among business and higher education leaders that a post- secondary degree or credential is important for success in the workplace. Many employers are even taking steps to support the |
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Education as a Data-Driven Enterprise Education is on the road to a transformation into a data-driven enterprise. With better information shared with the appropriate stakeholders, individuals at all levels--teachers and parents, principals and superintendents, business and nonprofit leaders, and policymakers and practitioners--can accelerate their efforts to boost student achievement and to put in place the reforms, policies, and practices that strengthen education for all children. Although the U.S. education system increasingly produces and collects more data, that information often is not shared, or comes too late to prompt appropriate interventions and supports. Moreover, educators, policymakers, and other stakeholders such as parents, students, and community partners, lack the training and capacity to use that |
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Closing the College Completion Gap A degree beyond high school has become an essential element of opportunity in America and is a proven pathway out of poverty. However, the majority of our nation's young people, especially low-income Americans, are finding it difficult to complete this pathway to success. Every day, there are faith communities throughout the country that are creating social networks for disconnected youth, providing positive role models for students, improving their self-esteem, providing academic tutoring for class subjects and state standardized tests, hosting FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and college awareness nights, providing opportunities to visit college campuses, and partnering with postsecondary institutions to secure admissions and financial aid packages. Outstanding examples of how faith-based communities are engaging to help more students earn a degree beyond high school exist, but are still not sufficient to meet a growing need. As one pastor in Ohio told us, "Faith-based organizations are a sleeping giant in our city and our country. we could rouse this sleeping giant to get This guidebook highlights the stories of those faith communities that are successfully increasing the number of students who graduate from college and provides faith leaders with the guidance they need to effectively partner with K-12 and postsecondary institutions to close the college completion gap. |
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High dropout rates continue to be a silent epidemic afflicting our nation's schools. Although some measurable progress is being made in some school districts and states to raise high school graduation rates, and federal, state, and local policies and practices are changing to meet the dropout challenge, the nation's progress is too slow and the individual, social, and economic costs continue to mount. The success of our nation's students is up to all of us. Although the specifics of the discussions varied from city to city, with respect to reducing dropout rates, there is a consensus that teachers, students, and parents all have crucial See Also: Discussion Guide (PDF) |
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One Dream, Two Realities Today in America, there are approximately 25 million parents who have children in American high schools. Their role in the educational achievement of their children is profound. Students with involved parents, regardless of their family income or background, are more likely to earn higher grades and test scores, enroll in higher level classes, attend school and pass their classes, develop better social skills, graduate from high school, attend college, and find productive work. The opposite is true for students whose parents are less engaged. Research confirms what common sense suggests: parents are central to the educational success of their children. Regardless of incomes, education, and performance at the school, parents believe that their involvement is central to their child's academic success. But parents need an access point — a way in and many are not finding it in their child's school. Parents are clearly ready to help their children succeed academically, but they need better information and tools from the schools to do so — ranging from how to help with homework to how to get into college. |
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Engaged for Success "We need students who graduate from high school prepared to succeed in today's global economy. We also need students who understand the value of service and of helping others - whether in their own communities or across the world. This report shows that service learning programs can be the bridge between these two priorities, helping our students graduate prepared to succeed, but also prepared to use their skills to help others." ~ Senator Ted Kennedy |
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The Case for Reform A Report by John M. Bridgeland, John J. DiIulio, Jr. and Ryan Streeter of Civic Enterprises with support from:
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A Report by the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation & Civic Enterprises with original research by Westat. Written by Joshua S. Wyner, John M. Bridgeland and John J. DiIulio, Jr. |
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A report by John M. Bridgeland, John J. DiIulio and Karen Burke Morison of Civic Enterprises. Prompted a TIME cover story "Drop Out Nation" and two Oprah Winfrey shows on the subject. Related News and Media A brief introduction to the Silent Epidemic Listen to John Bridgeland discuss The Silent Epidemic on NPR How You Can Help- The Stand Up campaign |