Experts Say Improvement In Graduation Rates Is Real

PBS (4/12, Woodruff, Merrow) "NewsHour" reports on graduation rates, "according to a U.S. Department of Education report, they have been going up all across the country." Yet "can the numbers be trusted?" The story covers a number of techniques used to reduce dropout numbers or improve graduation rates, but the experts cited "say the recent improvement is real." The improvement is attributed to a focus on "dropout factories" and on adopting "proven strategies like smaller schools, where everyone knows your name."