Graduation Rate
Special Report
Class of 2021: Digging Out From Under COVID
Graduation rates fell in 31 states in 2021. This package explores the Class of 2021's steep climb to academic recovery.
College & Workforce Readiness
From Our Research Center
Plunging Graduation Rates Signal Long Recovery
In the second year of the pandemic, the number of states with falling graduation rates more than doubled.
College & Workforce Readiness
Opinion
High School Graduation Is Down. There Are No Quick Fixes
Online credit-recovery programs are popular, but many shortchange students, write Robert Balfanz and Karen Hawley Miles.
College & Workforce Readiness
Teacher Prep Needs More Focus on Students With Disabilities, Report Says
To their detriment, teacher preparation programs 'do not center students with disabilities in their curriculum,' a new report from the Center for American Progress concludes.
College & Workforce Readiness
What the Research Says
High School Completions on Par for Black, White Students
For the first time in 40 years, the percentage of black 18- to 24-year-olds with a high school credential was nearly the same as that of their white peers, data from the National Center for Education Statistics show, but racial gaps remain for earning an on-time diploma.
College & Workforce Readiness
What the Research Says
Support for Black Boys Boosts Graduation Rates
A new evaluation of an Oakland, Calif., school district program designed to wrap black male students in a culturally rich and supportive environment is paying off.
Special Education
Preparing Students for Life After Special Education? Here's How Federal Dollars Can Help
When can schools use federal funds to help students with disabilities prepare for life after special education? A new resource from the federal education department offers a road map.
Every Student Succeeds Act
Opinion
A Wake-Up Call on Student Homelessness
Homeless students' graduation rates should be a national priority for us all, urge John King and John Bridgeland.
College & Workforce Readiness
Are End-of-Course Exams an Alternative to Exit Exams? Maybe
End-of-course tests in some courses may support graduation rates, finds a new study.
College & Workforce Readiness
Homeless Students' Struggles Come Into Sharper Focus Under ESSA
A new study shows that homeless children may have the lowest high school graduation rates of any student group, and there is no easy fix for the problem.
College & Workforce Readiness
Is the Nation's Rising Graduation Rate Real?
More high school students than ever are graduating, and a new report suggests that’s not due to lowered standards—it’s because students are actually learning more.
College & Workforce Readiness
Report Roundup
Migrant Students
An estimated 98,000 undocumented students graduate from U.S. high schools each year, but those graduates remain "at risk of deportation and will face severely limited opportunities to pursue further work and education," finds a new report from the Migration Policy Institute.
College & Workforce Readiness
English-Learners and Graduation: How ESSA Could Penalize ELLs and Their Schools
The Every Student Succeeds Act could lead administrators in traditional high schools to turn away older English-learner students who may need additional time to earn their high school diplomas, a new report from the Migration Policy Institute argues.
Equity & Diversity
100,000 Undocumented Students Graduate From U.S. High Schools Each Year, Analysis Finds
The new analysis significantly increases the annual estimate of undocumented high school students earning diplomas that has long been used in debates about immigration and special protections for immigrant youth who were illegally brought to the U.S. as children.