Page 119 - Crisis in Higher Education

Understanding the Root Causes • 91

especially where strong family structures are limited and unable to put pres-
sure on schools to offer high-quality programs and motivate and support
children to excel in school. As reported by CNN in 2014, the average high
school graduation rate for large urban high schools, which serve the most
disadvantaged students, was only about 50%. For the 2013–2014 school
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year, the public high school graduate rate, including these poorly performing
schools, hit a record high of 82%. The results for rural schools are mixed,
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but overall these students are graduating at a rate of about 80%. Iowa and
Nebraska, generally considered rural states, had the highest high school
graduate rate, both topping 90%. New Mexico, also considered a rural state,
was the only state with a rate below 70%. The District of Columbia was also
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less than 70%. An examination of graduation rates on a county-by-county
basis shows that a disproportionate share of the rural counties with above-
average dropout rates is in the southern United States. The ultimate point
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is that these urban and rural dropouts do not have access to colleges and
universities unless these problems are resolved.
There is another large group of high school graduates who did not take
a college preparatory curriculum in high school, and they may not meet
university admission requirements. It seems clear that not everyone will
or should attend a two-year or four-year institution, but it is very difficult
to know who should take what path as students enter high school. If stu-
dents do not take a college-prep track, they can pursue vocational educa-
tion, which may lead to a good career. Opting into or out of a college-prep
track should not be irrevocable. If students want to switch from vocational
to college preparatory or vice versa as they move through high school,
they should be able to fill gaps in their education.
There is yet another group of students who graduated from high school
but do not learn what they should have because they were pushed forward
and protected. This is a silent conspiracy. The student and parents are
happy and have a graduation party; teachers and schools feel good and
report a better graduation rate to the state board; and the state looks good
as it reports data to the U.S. Department of Education. Success is celebrated
and failure is postponed. Everyone is happy, at least in the short run.
To put U.S. high school performance in perspective globally, consider
a recent competition among 57 countries. The United States placed 16th in
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science and 23rd in mathematics. Another study of 64 countries by Pew
Research Center has the United States ranked 27th in science and 35th
in mathematics. The United States must close the gap and improve its
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primary and secondary educational system, a topic for another time.