U.S. Graduation Rates Starting To Fall Behind

By David J. Hoff

The United States is falling behind other economic powers in one category that defines an educated workforce: the high school graduation rate.

For much of the century, U.S. graduation rates were far higher than those of leading industrial nations in Europe, Asia, and the rest of this hemisphere. But high school completion has risen dramatically around the globe during the past several decades, while the U.S. rate has declined slightly, according to an annual report of international educational indicators.

"The pack has risen and left the U.S. standing," said Donald Hirsch, a consultant to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Paris-based group that was scheduled to release the findings this week. "There was a time when the U.S. could say it had this human-capital advantage. Today, you can no longer say...