Spellings' Next Move: Graduation Rates
First growth models, then differentiated accountability. It appears as if Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings' next target is graduation rates.
Spellings will appear at an event tomorrow sponsored by the America's Promise Alliance. The group will release a new report analyzing dropout data and will announce it will sponsor "dropout summits" in 50 states and 50 cities.
In her speech, Spellings will announce she believes there's "a need for a more comprehensive and precise definition of graduation rate," says Department of Education news release promoting the event.
On a more important (and personal note), if I get a chance to talk to the secretary tomorrow, I'm going to ask for her help getting Nationals' tickets.
EXTRA TIDBIT: America's Promise is the group founded by Colin Powell and his wife, Alma. Just last week, his successor, Condoleezza Rice, discussed her support for NCLB. When was the last time two secretaries of state got involved in a K-12 issue like this?
FULL DISCLOSURE: The America's Promise report was produced by the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center, a separate arm of the nonprofit that publishes edweek.org and Education Week.
