Texas Scorecard: IDRA's Annual Attrition Study Findings 2009
Chronically-high dropout rates demand bold action. In its 24th annual study of Texas graduation rates, IDRA finds that nearly one in three students is lost to attrition. For boys, rates have not improved statistically since 1985. Nationwide, 1.3 million students were lost in 2008-09. There have been improvements in drop-out trends, but "at a snail's pace." This issue of IDRA's Graduation for All Newsletter looks at the data and behind the numbers at what's working and what needs work.
More detail:
- Although statewide attrition rates have declined from 33 percent in 1985-86 to 31 percent in 2008-09—movement in the right direction—Texas has still lost 125,508 youth from school enrollment.
- The "graduation gap" has widened: in 1985-86, there was a 7-percentage point gap in attrition rates between White students and African American students. Today that difference has grown to 18-points.
- The gap between White and Hispanic students has also widened, from 18 to 25 percentage points.
We can make a difference. IDRA has issued a call to action: "We must take up a range of sound school- and community-based strategies and public policies; work together, engaging school, family, business and community members; and use quality data and information to make sure that what we do matters." This issue of Graduation for All highlights three key directions anyone concerned about the quality of U.S. education can take to act boldly.
