posted
Very interesting information can be found here.
You can search by state and see where your state ranks and what their graduation policies are. I was shocked that Alabama is one of only a few states that require 24 credits in order to receive a diploma.
There's also an interesting section on the GED and whether or not it truly is an "equivalent" to a high school diploma.
quote:An April 2006 study by the Boston-based Jobs for the Future, a nonprofit research and advocacy group, found that 44 percent of dropouts who receive a GED later enroll in two- or four-year colleges, but only 10 percent succeed in earning a degree.
quote:Studies examining the economic impact of passing the GED do not offer much comfort either. In 1993, University of Chicago economist James J. Heckman and colleague Stephen Cameron found GED holders were not significantly more likely than high school dropouts to land a job or earn high wages. Last year, Heckman and Paul A. LaFontaine re-examined the earlier research and found that GED recipients who did not continue on to college earned the same wages as uncertified high school dropouts, after correcting for differences in ability, leaving many with the credential no better off than they were before taking the tests.
I must be living in naive-land because I had no idea how low our graduation rate was - the national average according to this report is 69.6% - that is, of 100 students entering ninth grade, only about 70 will graduate on time. (That's assuming I read the section on methodology correctly.) In Alabama it's only 60% but according to this report Alabama has one of the strictest graduation policies - it requires the highest number of credits in the four core subjects and requires an exit exam that tests all four areas - many exit exams across the country only test for reading and writing competence.
Anyway, this is fascinating reading if also a bit upsetting. The disparities in graduation rates across both gender and ethnic lines is very disturbing.
Posts: 14428 | Registered: Aug 2001
| IP: Logged |
Well, my second son (the one who chose to get the GED, using a waiver at age 17) got a high enough score he was offered a scholarship for a community college. He just didn't want to go that route. I'm not surprised that those who passed GED often don't go to, or finish college. Usually they are the ones who opt for the GED becuase they HATE the school environment, and assume college will be the same. But it isn't a reflection of their intelligence or ability level - many are bright. They just don't conform well.
Kansas shows as requiring only 21 credits to graduate, but I know locally they really push for 24 for those "who plan to go on to college" and there is certain scholarship money you can only get if you do 24 instead of 21.
But we have a 75% graduation rate, which is pretty good, and well above national average. We don't have a standardized state test students must take to graduate, and we show as not offering any kind of advanced recognition for students who exceed the minimum hours required to graduate.
Printer-friendly view of this topic
