America's High School Drop Out Crisis Needs New Strategies, Witness Tell Education and Labor Committee

Monday, April 23, 2007

WASHINGTON, DC -- New national strategies are needed to prevent students from dropping out of high school and to improve school safety, witnesses told the House Education and Labor Committee today.

Only about 70 percent of students graduate from high school with a regular high school diploma.  In fact, each year, schools lose approximately 1.2 million students who leave for a wide range of reasons.  The rate is far worse among poor and minority students and students with disabilities. Roughly half of all African American and Hispanic students graduate from high school on time with a regular diploma.

"We need to be honest about the fact that right now we plan on one third of students leaving school before they graduate," said Maria Robledo Montecel, executive director of the Intercultural Development Research Association.  "This assumption is built into classroom assignments, teacher hiring practices, curriculum purchases and facilities planning.  It is time to plan for success, not failure."

Bob Wise, the president of the Alliance for Excellent Education, said, "In a world in which a meaningful high school diploma has become the minimum qualification necessary to obtain a good job and support family well-being, far too many American students are being allowed to fall off the path to prosperity.  This problem has escalated to crisis proportions in thousands of the nation's high schools and is hampering the opportunities of millions of students."

Kenneth M. Smith, president of Jobs for America's Graduates, suggested that there are proven methods to help reduce the number of high school dropouts:  "With an emphasis on intensive engagement, clear accountability for educational success, work, and community involvement, we can reduce dropout rates very significantly - and we can do it now."

Another component in helping to prevent students from dropping out of high school is to help students feel safe at school.  Studies show that students are less likely to have academic problems and drop out if they are in a safe learning environment.  

"Parents and educators are increasingly demanding that we not only do more, but do better, in improving safety in our educational climate," said Kenneth S. Trump, president and CEO of National School Safety and Services.  "While many improvements in school safety, security, and emergency planning have been made in schools post-Columbine, the progress we saw in the months and years after that tragedy has been stalled and is slipping backwards in many school communities." 

"We are far from solving the dropout crisis in America," said Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the committee.  "This is a serious problem that demands our attention and hard work."

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