Coaching Students To Stay In School

Low graduation rates affect America’s ability to compete in the global workplace. "To get this economy back on track, we need to lower our high school dropout rates," says U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. "These students need an education, and our economy needs these students." A 2008 report from the nonprofit organization Education Trust found that the United States is the only industrialized country where teens are less likely than their parents to earn a high school diploma.

All of us suffer when our high schools fail. Economists estimate that the students who drop out each year result in $320 billion in lost wages, taxes, and productivity. In recent testimony before Congress, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates singled out improving graduation rates as a priority. "Every student in America should graduate ready for college, a career, and life," he said. "Every child. No exceptions."

by Peg Tyre

Full Story: http://www.parade.com/news/2009/06/coaching-students-to-stay-in-school.html