Category Archives: Graduation rates

Virtual Strategy Magazine: More California Students Back on Track for Graduation as the Vallejo City Unified School District Adult School Implements Rigorous, Engaging Online Learning Curriculum

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Like many cities across the country, Vallejo, California, is challenged by financial strains. Yet over the past several months, the Vallejo City Unified School District Adult School has found a new way to keep significantly more of its at-risk high school students on track toward graduation, despite limited resources.

Since March 2012, when Vallejo City Unified School District Adult School implemented a new online learning curriculum, Aventa Learning® by K12, nearly 200 students have recovered more than 900 high school credits enabling them to either graduate or get back on the path toward graduation. This is a 25% increase over the number of students who attempted to recover credits in the spring and summer semesters of 2011, when classes were offered in the traditional classroom setting, or through a state-supplied software program.

via More California Students Back on Track for Graduation as the ….

EdSource Today: A mind is still a terrible thing to waste

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By Michele Siqueiros and Arun Ramanathan

What if we told you that no matter how hard you tried, you only had a 5 percent chance of succeeding? What if it was your first day of kindergarten and we told you those were your odds of getting a college degree at a California university?

We don’t tell our kindergarteners that. In fact, we tell them the opposite. “You can be anything you want in life if you work hard enough.” But in California that’s just not the case for the nearly 4 million students who are Latino or African American. They have a 1 in 20 chance of graduating from a California public university. California’s prosperity is dependent on us changing these odds.

According to a recent report from the California Competes Council, California will need 5½ million new college degrees and technical certificates by the year 2025. We simply cannot meet these needs without improving results for our Latino and African American students, who are the vast majority of our student population.

via A mind is still a terrible thing to waste – by Michele Siqueiros and Arun Ramanathan.

California Watch: For blacks and Latinos, few Calif. high schools offer path to college

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Joanna Lin

California high schools that serve largely Latino or African American students are failing them as pathways to college, according to a new report by a statewide education policy, research and advocacy organization.

Just 10 percent of high schools that serve primarily Latino students have above-average graduation and college-going rates for Latinos. The same is true for African Americans at 24 percent of high schools serving the largest proportions of African American students, the Education Trust–West found. Many students in both populations are low-income.

The college-going rate among Latino and African American students who graduated high school in 2010 lagged behind that of white and Asian students by 20 and more than 30 percentage points, respectively. The estimate, released last week, found 45 percent of Latinos and 46 percent of African Americans in the class of 2010 enrolled in college.

via For blacks and Latinos, few Calif. high schools offer path to college.

The Educated Guess: Trending toward graduation

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By Kathryn Baron

California’s high school graduation rate is edging upwards for most groups of students. The overall graduation rate for 2010-11 was 76.3 percent, or 1.5 percent above the prior year.

Tom Torlakson, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, acknowledged that while it’s not a surge, it’s still good news.

“It’s heading in the right direction; it’s certainly not where we want it to be,” said Torlakson during a telephone conference call with journalists on Wednesday. “The thing that I think is more noteworthy is the larger gains we’re seeing among Hispanics and African American students.”

The graduation rate for Hispanic students increased by 2.2 percent to 70.4 percent, and rose by 2.3 percent among African American students to reach 62.9 percent. At the same time, dropout rates for those groups of students fell by 3.1 percent and 2.1 percent respectively. English learners also showed progress, with a 3.8 percent increase in their graduation rates.

via Trending toward graduation – by Kathryn Baron.

Vallejo Times-Herald: California and Vallejo see slight increase in high school graduation rate

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By Sarah Rohrs

Graduation rates among California’s and Vallejo public high school students are climbing and drop out rates are falling, the state Department of Education announced Wednesday.

“It’s all positive. It’s a step in the right direction,” Department of Education spokeswoman Tina Jung said.

The trend is also apparent in the Vallejo City Unified School District, which saw a slight boost in its graduation rate from the 2009-10 school year to last year.

In Vallejo, 54.1 percent graduated from high school this year, a small increase over the previous year’s rate of 53.6 percent, according to the state.

via California and Vallejo see slight increase in high school graduation ….

The Reporter: California graduation rates up, dropout rates down

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More California high school students graduated in 2011 and fewer dropped out, with the biggest gains posted by Hispanic, black and English learner students, the state Department of Education said Wednesday.

Most Solano County schools also saw strong graduation rates and dwindling dropout numbers, according to the state figures.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson said he was encouraged by the results, which put California’s graduation rate at 76.3 percent, up 1.5 percent from 2010, and dropout rate at 14.4 percent, down by 2.2 percent, from 2010, but noted there was still much room for improvement.

“It’s going in the right direction, but it’s not where we want it to be,” Torlakson said. “We want to be at 85-90 percent.”

via California graduation rates up, dropout rates down.

Daily Republic: Fairfield, Suisun graduation rates improve

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by David DeBolt

FAIRFIELD — Following a statewide trend, more high school students in Fairfield graduated in 2011 and fewer dropped out, with big gains posted by Hispanic and black students, according to data released Wednesday by the state Department of Education.

Districtwide, Fairfield-Suisun had an 82.9 percent graduation rate, up 4.1 percent from 2010, and a dropout rate of 13.7 percent, down 3.2 percent from the previous year.

Graduation rates increased while dropout rates fell for Hispanic and black students in the Fairfield-Suisun School District. Hispanic students in the Fairfield area graduated at a rate of 83.4 percent, up 10.6 percent from 2010 and dropped out at a rate of 14.7 percent, down 7.9 percent from the previous year.

Over the same period, black students graduated at a 77.2 percent rate, up 9.8 percent, while dropout rates fell 8.7 percent to 16.3 percent.

via Fairfield, Suisun graduation rates improve.

CA Dept of Education: Graduate, Dropout Rates Released

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SACRAMENTO—Graduation rates among California’s public school students are climbing and dropout rates are falling, with the biggest gains being made among English learners and the state’s largest minority groups, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced today.

More than three quarters, or 76.3 percent, of students who started high school in 2007 graduated with their class in 2011. That is up 1.5 percentage points from the 2010 graduation rate. Larger gains were seen among Hispanic and African American students at 2.2 and 2.3 percentage points respectively, with the biggest increase being among English learners at 3.8 percentage points. The graduation rate for socioeconomically disadvantaged students climbed nearly 2 percentage points, from 68.1 to 70 percent.

via Graduate, Dropout Rates Released.

Vallejo Times-Herald: Emotional ceremony marks Bethel High graduation in Vallejo

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By Lanz Christian Bañes

At the start of the school year, Jesse Bethel High School had just 156 seniors on track to graduate.

But by Thursday night, that number had tripled.

“This evening, seated before you are 457 seniors,” Principal Lloyd Cartwright said to the tumultuous applause of students and parents.

Among the reasons for the larger graduating class were reforms the Vallejo City Unified School District implemented this year, aimed in part at reducing the district’s high dropout rate.

via Emotional ceremony marks Bethel High graduation in Vallejo.

NPR News: High Schools Grads ‘Scarred’ By High Unemployment

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The job market is still bleak for young people with only high school diplomas. Nearly half of high school graduates are still looking for full-time work, according to a new report by Rutgers University’s John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development.

The national survey interviewed 544 recent high school grads from 2006 to 2011 who are not in college. Researchers say their hardship may have long-term emotional and financial consequences.

Lowering Expectations

Valerie Peterson, 23, lowered her expectations a long time ago. Unable to afford college and trying to find work with just a high school diploma during the recession in Columbus, Ohio, she had no choice.

But she still has trouble getting her head around the reality of working the overnight shift at a gas station, earning an extra 50 cents over minimum wage — better than some of her old jobs at RadioShack and Wendy’s, but still a long stretch from her dream to start and run a business.

via High Schools Grads ‘Scarred’ By High Unemployment.

Daily Republic: Assist-A-Grad rewards graduating seniors

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by Heather Ah San

FAIRFIELD — Many of the best and brightest high school seniors were honored Sunday as the Assist-A-Grad Scholarship Foundation awarded 196 scholarships to 136 students at their 43rd annual awards ceremony.

Students from all over Solano County were awarded up to three scholarships.

A total of 90 organizations or scholarship foundations presented recipients with individual scholarships at the 90-minute ceremony.

via Assist-A-Grad rewards graduating seniors.

Daily Republic: Solano black high school graduates honored

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by Heather Ah San

FAIRFIELD — Darnel David Dailey, a senior at Rodriguez High School, spoke to some of his fellow classmates and soon-to-be graduates about their future on Sunday.

All of these seniors were black students being honored at the 21st annual Baccalaureate at the St. Stephen CME Church.

Dailey spoke to his classmates about the uniqueness of their position, the opportunity they have and the importance their role plays as college-bound young African-Americans.

via Black high school graduates honored.

Life360 Now!: California Begins Early Warning System for At Risk Students

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by Meghan H.

Despite the many problems our nation is facing in regards to public education these days, especially in my home state of California, there ARE programs out there being tested and examined to try and make things better. One of those things being reducing the amount of kids who drop out.

via California Begins Early Warning System for At Risk Students.

Vallejo Times-Herald: Letters – Thanks to AT&T, a new energy for Vallejo schools

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Howard Bell, Vallejo

AT&T’s big offer to curb dropouts was the best news I’ve seen in years. Statewide, the high school dropout rate is about 18 percent, (22 percent for Latino, and 29 percent for African-American students). Vallejo has one of the highest dropout rates in the nation, and our numbers far exceed state averages. This holds too many of our young folks back.

via Thanks to AT&T, a new energy for Vallejo schools.

The Reporter: Jay Speck – Education: Trapped in the past

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By Jay Speck

I recently participated in the Grad Nation Summit in Washington, D.C., where community members, legislators, parents, educators and business leaders from across the country gathered to develop and share strategies to address the staggering high school dropout problem.

via Education: Trapped in the past.

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