High School Graduation Rates Decline in Some Major Cities
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By SLJ Staff -- School Library Journal, 4/27/2009 2:00:00 PM
Nineteen of the nation’s largest cities—including Las Vegas, San Francisco, and Omaha—have seen a decline in their high school graduation rate over the last decade. At the same time, only a little more than half (53 percent) of teens in the largest cities graduate from high school on time, says a new report from America’s Promise Alliance, a nonprofit organization that hopes to help at-risk students.
Those with the greatest decrease in graduation rates include Las Vegas, NV (-23 percentage points); Wichita, KS (-18 percentage points); Omaha, NE (-15 percentage points); Arlington, TX (-12 percentage points); Albuquerque, NM (-7 percentage points); and San Francisco, CA (-7 percentage points), says the report.
“Cities in Crisis 2009: Closing the Graduation Gap,” says that despite some progress made by several cities between 1995 and 2005, the average graduation rate of the nation’s largest cities is well below the national average of 71 percent.
“The 10-year graduation rates show that progress is being made in some of America's largest cities, but significant work remains," says Alma Powell, chair of America's Promise Alliance, which was founded in 1997 with her husband, General Colin Powell, as its founding chair. "In order to make the U.S. competitive in today's global economy, we must work together like never before to provide the supports that young people need in order to graduate high school ready for college, work, and life."
There is some good news, however. The top three cities that saw the greatest improvement in graduation rates are Philadelphia, PA (23 percentage points); Tucson, AZ (23 percentage points); and Kansas City, MO (20 percentage points). They’re followed by El Paso, TX (14 percent percentage points); Portland, OR (13 percentage points); and New York City (13 percentage points).
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Alma Powell, chair of America's Promise Alliance, founded in 1997 with her husband, General Colin Powell, as its founding chair |
Nationwide, nearly one in three U.S. high school students fails to graduate—and overall about 1.2 million students drop out each year, averaging 7,000 every school day or one every 26 seconds.
The problem is worse for minority students, with nearly 50 percent of African-American and Hispanic students not completing high school on time, the report says.
The report also looks at the economic and employment landscape for those with varied education levels, including those without a high school diploma. It reveals that those who drop out of high school are less likely to be steadily employed and earn less income when they are employed, compared with those who graduate from high school. Approximately one-third (37 percent) of high school dropouts nationwide are steadily employed, and are more than twice as likely to live in poverty.
The report says the median income for high school dropouts is $14,000, much lower than the median income of $24,000 for high school graduates and $48,000 for college graduates. Nationally, high school dropouts were also the only group of workers who saw income levels decline over the last 30 years.
Funded in part by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the report analyzed school district data from the U.S. Department of Education's Common Core of Data (2004–05).
