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For Immediate Release  Contact: Kari Hudnell Phone: 202-955-9450 x324 Email: khudnell@communicationworks.com     STATE ACTION URGED TO HELP RAISE GRADUATION RATES, BETTER PREPARE STUDENTS IN STRUGGLING SCHOOLS Jobs for the Future Outlines Aggressive Plan of Action for Policymakers BOSTON — May 22, 2008 — Even as the nation’s high school graduation rate remains flat and too many students drop out, most states are failing to take actions to reverse this troubling Download Raising Graduation Rates Media Teleconference (audio)   Media Teleconference (transcript) pattern and in turn help more students attend and succeed in college. The report released today by Jobs for the Future (JFF) gives state policymakers a detailed framework for helping all students persevere and succeed in and beyond high school. It also highlights more than 20 states and school districts that are already raising standards and graduation rates. The report, Raising Graduation Rates in an Era of High Standards: Five Commitments for State Action, calls on states to exercise crucial leadership, especially for low-income students, who are more likely than their more affluent peers to drop out of high school or be unprepared for college and work. The United States must explore and implement strategies that help more students complete high school and succeed in college if the nation is going to remain competitive in an increasingly demanding global marketplace. “For the sake of our students and our nation, we urge state policymakers to review the recommendations in this report and commit to implementing them as soon as possible,” said Marlene B. Seltzer, JFF’s president and CEO. “In doing so, states can raise graduation rates without compromising high college- and work-readiness standards and take a critical step to improving the economic prospects of our citizenry and our nation as a whole.” Today, just 65 percent of low-income students earn a high school diploma, and only 21 percent of those graduates are adequately prepared for college-level work, the report notes. By comparison, more than 90 percent of middle- and upper-class students graduate, and 54 percent are prepared for college. “The nation’s schools are falling behind and America’s students, particularly low-income and minority students, are not prepared to compete in the global economy,” said former Colorado Gov. Roy Romer. “We are facing a national crisis that can only be solved with strong leadership. I urge all citizens to send a message to their state leaders: Tell them America’s failing schools are a detriment to America’s economic standing and demand action now.” The report comes out of a joint project between JFF and Achieve, Inc. JFF is working to help states identify and implement aggressive policies to help more young people—particularly those from low-income families and low-performing schools—stay in school as states ratchet up academic standards and expectations. Several such examples that are being used today are highlighted in this report. Drawing on a growing body of research and innovative practices, as well as recent actions by states to support the twin goals of college readiness and graduation, Jobs for the Future’s new report urges states to adopt five commitments: Create a high school diploma that signifies college- and work-readiness. While a number of factors can affect whether a student completes college, completion of a high-intensity and high-quality program of study has a significant impact on the later success of low-income and minority students. State policymakers need to develop ways to monitor course content, student achievement, and course-taking patterns while also encouraging opportunities for innovation at the local level. Dual enrollment and other forms of college course-taking in high school should be considered. Establish pathways to high school graduation and college for overage, undercredited, and out-of-school youth. Lawmakers have the unique ability to create the conditions that allow for and foster new models for helping these students. In addition to highly skilled teachers and leaders, school developers often need charter-like conditions such as low enrollments, academic rigor, and other factors that give them the flexibility to do what is necessary to best serve their pupils. Turn around low-performing high schools. America’s “dropout factories,” a mere 15 percent of public high schools, produce more than half of the dropouts and have proven immune to several generations of reform. States must identify these schools, and then create the conditions, capacity, and resources to turn them around. Increase the emphasis on graduation rates and college-readiness in the next generation of accountability. High school graduation rates and college preparation are often overlooked in the current focus on improving student test scores. In order to make these factors an integral part of the next wave of accountability, states should set clear targets for progress and develop an expanded set of indicators for holding high schools accountable for their graduation rates. Provide early and continuous support for struggling students. High school dropouts do not develop overnight. Indeed, research has identified specific “early warning” indicators, such as sporadic attendance and failing core academic classes in middle school or 9th grade. States need to support districts’ efforts to gather and act on this data before it is too late. Here are some of the state-led reform efforts that JFF highlights as already following its framework for success: Oregon’s Alternative Education Policies: Under state law, all school districts are required to provide alternative learning options for students. These options must be flexible with regard to environment, time, structure, and pedagogy. North Carolina’s “Learn and Earn” Schools: Students in the state’s “Learn and Earn” high schools can earn both a high school diploma and up to two years of college credit or an associate degree, tuition free. Florida’s Requirements for Low-Performing Schools: Low-performing schools that repeatedly fail to make progress are subject to a state-imposed reform plan that requires school districts to take action on 26 reform measures. Louisiana’s Graduation Index: Education leaders developed an accountability system that creates incentives for high schools to both keep students enrolled until they graduate and provide a rigorous curriculum through their senior year. Raising Graduation Rates in an Era of High Standards: Five Commitments for State Action was written by Adria Steinberg, associate vice president, and Cheryl Almeida, program director. ### Jobs for the Future seeks to accelerate the educational and economic advancement of youth and adults struggling in today’s economy. JFF partners with leaders in education, business, government, and communities around the nation to: strengthen opportunities for youth to succeed in postsecondary learning and high-skill careers; increase opportunities for low-income individuals to move into family-supporting careers; and meet the growing economic demand for knowledgeable and skilled workers.