End the High-School Dropout Crisis: Tie Minimum Wage to Graduation

Abstract

THE CALIFORNIA Journal of Politics & Policy Commentary End the High-School Dropout Crisis: Tie Minimum Wage to Graduation Paul Swamidass Auburn University The 76% high-school graduation rate in the U.S. is below the 82% rate for OECD nations, and well below the 90% rate in Greece, Germany, Finland, Japan, Korea, Norway, and Ireland (OECD data, 2007; The Alliance for Excellent Education). The Alliance also estimates that, “Dropouts from the Class of 2008 alone will cost the na- tion more than $319 billion in lost wages over the course of their lifetimes.” “Two thousand high schools in the U.S. produce more than half of all dropouts and a recent study suggests that in the 50 largest cities, only 53% of students graduate on time,” said the House Education and Labor Committee www.bepress.com/cjpp Volume 3, Issue 1, 2011 in its press release titled, “High School Dropout Crisis Threatens U.S. Economic Growth and Competitiveness, witnesses tell house panel” (May 12, 2009). Further, the release notes, “Nationwide 7,000 students drop out of high school each day.” The high-school graduation rate in the U.S., when 55- to 64-year olds were in high school, was better than all OECD countries. The graduation rate in the U.S. has dete- riorated over the last several decades moving South Korea to the top of the list, while the U.S. has fallen behind 10 other nations in high-school graduation rate (Alliance for Excellent Education, OECD data, 2006). We have two cri- ses; first, we have an unhealthy high-school dropout rate; second, we have no remedy to fix the problem after de- cades of fruitless attempts. We need new drastic measures. While some are resigned to accept that U.S. high- school dropout crisis is unsolvable, certain federal policies actually encourage dropouts, exasperate the problem, and hinder meaningful solutions to the problem. If nothing, we could at least fix the offending federal policies that con- tribute to the dropout crisis.