There is encouraging news today: The overall U.S. high school graduation rate is up for a second consecutive year, reaching the highest level since the late 1970s—73 percent. And Latino students, the fastest-growing subgroup of students in the country, made the strongest graduation-rate gains.
That’s according to Education Week‘s Diplomas Count report, which came out today. In research and journalism, it details the current graduation-rate landscape, highlighting the status and prospects of Latino students. With a 63 percent grad rate, Latinos still lag behind on this key marker of future success, and account for a disproportionate share of those who don’t obtain diplomas. But the fact that graduation-rate gains by Latinos was a major driver in overall U.S. improvement is noteworthy.
This year’s Diplomas Count includes an analysis by our Research Center that identified school districts “beating the odds” to produce high Latino grad rates. It has interesting stories examining the impact of Alabama’s immigration law on Latinos in school there, the effect of New Jersey’s universal preschool program on Hispanics, and the unique challenges Latino girls face in education, among other topics.
EdWeek staff members will present the findings, along with panel discussions, at an event tomorrow. You can view a live Webcast of the event on www.edweek.org at 10 a.m. Eastern time. We will also host a webinar on June 12 that delves into the findings in the report.