Alternative Schools Raise Graduation Rates

By Edward Graham A record number of students graduated high school in the 2010-2011 school year – the highest estimated rate of graduation in the history of the department’s records — according to a recent US Department of Education report. The improved graduation rates have been buoyed not only by support from the Obama Administration [...]

The “Silent Crisis” of the Latino Dropout Rate

By Lance Fuller According to the National Center for Education Statistics, almost 20 percent of Latino males dropped out of high school in 2008, the highest among any demographic in the country. The long-term consequences of Latinos and ultimately men of color dropping out of school create what Dr. Luis Ponjuan calls a “silent crisis.” [...]

Poverty Puts Struggling Readers in Double Jeopardy

By Cindy Long When does a student transition from learning to read to reading to learn? Experts agree that third grade is the turning point. What’s troubling is that two-thirds of our country’s third graders aren’t reading on grade level. What’s worse is that those students are far more likely to drop out of school [...]