American Graduate
American Graduate
As a part of the American Graduate program, Kavitha Cardoza, WAMU 88.5 education reporter, writes a series of articles examining the dropout crisis in D.C. Cardoza interviews teachers, parents, researchers, and dropouts as she looks at the causes and consequences of the dropout problem, which affects approximately 1 million students each year and has been called "the civil rights issue of our time."
Here's what a sampling of D.C. residents had to say about the city's dropout crisis. Many of them thought they knew the scope of the problem, and several were shocked to hear that the graduation rate is actually far lower than they expected and than D.C. has reported in the past.
The graduation rates of the public schools in the district vary widely, and those rates are expected to change when the District begins using the new, federally mandated graduation calculation. Check out the graduation rates for the 2009-2010 school year, and the map will be updated when the new data for the 2010-2011 school year is available.
Approximately 1 million students drop out of high school per year in the United States. Many schools in the D.C. area contribute to that statistic as they struggle with low graduation rates. Now, several schools and programs in D.C. and Baltimore are trying innovative educational models to help improve graduation rates overall.
Graduation Rates Increase Around The Globe As U.S. Plateaus
Other countries pull ahead, and the U.S. falls behind
The United States used to top the list of countries' high school graduation rates, but that ranking has shifted significantly in recent years. More than 20 countries are now beating the U.S. on graduations, as developed and developing countries alike bolster their graduation rates. But what does that mean for American competitiveness and the U.S. education system going forward?
AUDIO SLIDE SHOW: St. Mary's Orphanage School, Bangalore, India
Why Kids Drop Out: Identifying The Early Warning Signs
Students drop out of school for a complex combination of reasons, making it difficult for teachers to identify any one cause. What educators have been able to narrow down are the most frequent early indicators that a student might someday drop out of school, and they apply these daily to try to combat the dropout crisis.
How Many Students Really Graduate From High School?
Calculating graduation and dropout rates for high schools is complicated, and until now there has been no consensus on how to do so. Under new federal guidelines, schools in all states must use the same method and the shift is bringing out statistics that, in some cases, present the first real comparison of the dropout crisis nationwide.
Breaking The Cycle When Dropping Out Runs In The Family
Grace McMillan, left, and her mother, Saundra Walker, both struggled in school, and then dropped out when they became pregnant. Now, decades later, they're attending classes together to try to get their GED diplomas.
"American Graduate: Let's Make It Happen" is a public media initiative made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
