The Arizona Mayors Education Roundtable yesterday released a report that counts the lost economic activity society bears when students drop out of high school.  Youth who drop out of school face higher risks of unemployment and economic insecurity and are more reliant on government supports.

High school dropouts are costing Arizona more than $7 billion each year, according to the report.

• Cutting the dropout rate in half would generate $3.8 billion more in economic benefits to the state for each graduating class.
• Dropouts are less likely find steady work and instead engage in criminal activity or use public assistance, according to the report.

Russell W. Rumberger, a professor of education at the University of California, Santa Barbara and director of the California Dropout Research Project oversaw the report using data from the Arizona Department of Education, the U.S. Census and a recent university study.

Progress in California

In April, this year, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson reported California is making progress reducing the dropout rate.  For the fourth year in a row, California’s graduation rate climbed as the dropout rate fell, particularly for students of color. “For the first time in our state’s history, more than 80 percent of our students are graduating—a clear sign of their hard work and the support they receive from their teachers, families, and communities,” Torlakson said. “We are continuing toward our goal of graduating 100 percent of our students with the skills and knowledge they will need to succeed.”

Promising Models to Ensure Student Success

MDRC, a nonprofit, nonpartisan education and social policy research organization issued a report in January, this year, entitled: BEYOND THE GED Promising Models for Moving High School Dropouts to College that describes effective adult education reforms.

MDRC researchers found studies that suggest programs that contextualize basic skills and GED instruction within specific fields and that support students in their transition to college show promise in increasing the rate of students’ persistence, earning a high school credential, and entering and succeeding in college. These models tend to:

1. Provide more coherent and relevant instruction through curricula that better align with students’’ career goals;
2. Provide increased connections with colleges and vocational training programs; and
3. Build in an advising component that fosters students’ engagement in program and supports their transition to college.

Doing What Matters, Matters

California is committed to improving individuals’ college and career readiness skills, particularly by increasing their access to and success in postsecondary education and training. It is important for High Schools and Community Colleges to work together to align curriculum and articulate pathway programs to engage students in ways that keep them in school and on a pathway to meaningful employment.

Concurrent enrollment programs that allow students to complete the requirements for a high school degree while concurrently enrolled in college and programs that offer workforce credentials are found to be an effective strategy to reduce the dropout rate.

As reported, the costs of failure are startling. Thanks to all the teachers who are doing their best to help your students succeed!