Report: US On Track To Meet Grad-Rate Goal

Caralee Adams writes at the Education Week (2/26) "College Bound" blog, "A 90 percent high school graduation rate by 2020 was a lofty goal set by the Grad Nation campaign in 2010. But the latest report from the coalition of education organizations shows that, with a 78.2 percent four-year graduation rate in 2010, the pace of improvement is picking up-putting some U.S. states on track to meet that goal if the progress continues." The article relates rising graduation rate statistics, noting that the report "attributes much of the growth to improved performance by Latino and African-American students. Between 2006 and 2010, the Hispanic graduation rate grew from 61 percent to 71.4 percent, while the graduation rate for black students went up from 59.2 percent to 66.1 percent."

 

Lingering Gaps Temper Report's Positive News.Reuters (2/25) reports that despite the positive news in the report about rising graduation rates, there are still significant gaps for students with disabilities or limited English language proficiency. Meanwhile, significant achievement gaps between white students and students of color remain.