An Exponential Payoff

Abstract

FOR MOST of us, graduating from high school is just the first step on the ladder to adulthood. And it is taken for granted. In some families, failure to graduate disrupts these expectations. A child might rebel or have learning problems that delay or even preclude walk across the stage, but for his or her family, such future was never imagined, and the resulting lack of diploma is talked about in hushed tones. The majority of parents assume that their children will complete high school and be certified to compete in the real world. But for other families, as optimistic as they might be when their 5-year-old happily trots through the big school doors to meet that first kindergarten teacher, the tradition of high school graduation is not firm. Perhaps one or both parents dropped out. Maybe Grandpa never finished eighth grade. Uncle Steve quit at 16. Aunt Terry left to take care of nieces and nephews who needed her. Such families don't care any less about their children's future. They simply reflect the conditions and expectations to which they've been exposed. We speak easily of first-generation college students. But it is less common to hear about first-generation high school graduates. Yet each first-generation high school graduate exponentially increases the odds that, for subsequent children, the expectation of graduation will be a lock. But locking in expectations can only happen when far greater numbers of students actually graduate--and do so fully prepared for adulthood. Where is the need the greatest to improve graduation numbers and build family traditions? Census Bureau statistics tell us that number of the states with the highest percentages of non-high school graduates are in the South. Ironically, southern states have often been among the leaders in education reform. In fact, because they have been so aggressive in policy making, it's difficult to single out any state in particular. For example, lawmakers in Florida have enacted an impressive slate of policies directed at improving education in the middle grades and high school. Alabama was the first state to require 4 X 4 curriculum for graduation. Mississippi currently is focusing on reducing its number of dropouts. And South Carolina just completed an in-depth study on better serving at-risk students. NATIONWIDE EFFORTS Nationwide initiatives led by nonprofit organizations such as Jobs for the Future (JFF) are focusing attention on the need to increase the number of low-income and minority young people who graduate from high school, are ready for college, and go on to earn college degree or different postsecondary credential. In October 2007, JFF brought together representatives from 41 states for conference called Double the Numbers 2007. The aim was to ask the nation to take on the urgent challenge of doubling the number of low-income students who earn postsecondary credentials. The conference addressed four strategies for improving high school graduation rates and promoting postsecondary attainment: * creating multiple pathways that enable all students, including struggling students and out-of-school youths, to graduate from high school prepared for college and work; * improving student transitions from high school to college by incorporating college-level learning experiences into the high school years; * improving college completion rates by restructuring developmental course sequences, building more bridges between K-12 and postsecondary education, and upgrading student supports; and * increasing postsecondary success for historically underserved groups through more strategic management of institutional spending and investment in expanded capacity and improved student learning. MAPPING BACKWARD IN KENTUCKY On 27 October 2007, Kentucky's Council on Postsecondary Education detailed how Kentucky plans to increase the number of college graduates to the national average by 2020: Doubling our numbers will benefit all Kentuckians. …