Federal Federal File

Accountability Still a Grad-Rate Issue

By David J. Hoff — October 27, 2008 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

The Department of Education soon will publish new regulations that require states to improve the way they calculate high school graduation rates and report them to the public.

But those rules won’t solve some of the biggest problems with the way states hold schools and districts accountable for increasing their graduation rates under the No Child Left Behind Act, according to a new report.

“There’s a real concern that once the rule comes out, people are going to say: ‘OK, we’ve got the grad-rate thing taken care of,’?” said Daria L. Hall, the assistant director for K-12 policy at the Education Trust, the Washington nonprofit group that released “Counting on Graduation” last week.

Under rules proposed in April for the Title I program under the NCLB law, the Education Department would require states to adopt a uniform method of calculating graduation rates and schools and districts to report their graduation rates for students in racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups, as well as for students with disabilities and English-language learners. The proposal would require schools to make “continuous and sustantial improvement” in their rates. (“Plan Would Add New Rules,” April 30, 2008.)

Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings has said she expects the final rules to be published by October.

Although the Education Trust supports the department’s proposed rules, its report reminds state officials that they should ensure that schools and districts are held accountable for increasing the proportion of students who graduate.

Ms. Hall, whose group is one of the nclb law’s strongest advocates, said adding those words would be an improvement over loopholes that have allowed states to set goals to increase their graduation rates by as little as 0.1 percentage point a year.

“What we haven’t said is what’s good enough for improvement,” Ms. Hall said. “We need to set meaningful expectations.”

Making sure that those expectations are ambitious is the responsibility of governors, state board of education members, and chief state school officers, says the Education Trust report.

A version of this article appeared in the October 29, 2008 edition of Education Week

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Mathematics Webinar
Pave the Path to Excellence in Math
Empower your students' math journey with Sue O'Connell, author of “Math in Practice” and “Navigating Numeracy.”
Content provided by hand2mind
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Recruitment & Retention Webinar
Combatting Teacher Shortages: Strategies for Classroom Balance and Learning Success
Learn from leaders in education as they share insights and strategies to support teachers and students.
Content provided by DreamBox Learning
Classroom Technology K-12 Essentials Forum Reading Instruction and AI: New Strategies for the Big Education Challenges of Our Time
Join the conversation as experts in the field explore these instructional pain points and offer game-changing guidance for K-12 leaders and educators.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Federal Obituary Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, an Advocate for Liberal Priorities, Dies at Age 90
Feinstein pushed for bans on military-style weapons after the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.
10 min read
Senator Dianne Feinstein shakes hands with supporters of Planned Parenthood on July 6, 2018, in Oakland, Calif.
Senator Dianne Feinstein shakes hands with supporters of Planned Parenthood on July 6, 2018, in Oakland, Calif.
Lea Suzuki/San Francisco Chronicle via AP
Federal Biden Credits School Shooting Survivors as He Creates Gun Violence Prevention Office
President Biden announced the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, fulfilling a long-time goal of school shooting survivors.
5 min read
President Joe Biden speaks about gun safety on Sept. 22, 2023, from the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington. Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., applauds at left.
President Joe Biden speaks about gun safety on Sept. 22, 2023, from the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington. Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., applauds at left.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
Federal A Flood of Public Feedback Has Delayed a Title IX Change Covering Trans Athletes—Again
The Biden administration has not taken the final step to adopt long-awaited Title IX changes that would explicitly protect LGBTQ+ students.
5 min read
Isaya S. waves out the window of a Seattle Public Schools bus while participating in the annual Seattle Pride Parade on June 25, 2023, in Seattle.
Isaya S. waves out the window of a Seattle Public Schools bus while participating in the annual Seattle Pride Parade on June 25, 2023, in Seattle.
Lindsey Wasson/AP
Federal Is Funding for School Archery and Hunting Programs Really at Risk?
A U.S. Department of Education document led to confusion among school administrators about funding for archery and hunting programs.
4 min read
Students participate in a school archery program. A group of congressional lawmakers are working to amend federal law to ensure schools can purchase bow and arrows and other supplies for archery, sharp shooting, and hunting programs in schools.
Students participate in a school archery program. A group of congressional lawmakers are working to amend federal law to ensure schools can purchase bow and arrows and other supplies for school archery, sharp shooting, and hunting programs with federal education funds.
Courtesy of the National Archery in the Schools Program