From Thursday, September 9th NC Justice News
GRADUATION RATE: Smart Policies Can Keep Kids in School
State Superintendent June Atkinson kicked off "Graduation Awareness Week" yesterday with a proclamation from Governor Mike Easley and a Call to Action to raise the state's graduation rate. Only about 70% of North Carolina high school students graduate in four years.
Superintendent Atkinson says this campaign will "underscore the activities that schools, families and community groups must take to help all students stay in school to graduate." But there are numerous steps state policymakers can take to help students graduate. One would be to revise North Carolina's retention policy, which results in tens of thousands of students not being promoted to the next grade each year, increasing the chances they will drop out. Revising suspension policies to keep more students in class would also be a big step toward getting more children to graduation day.
Superintendent Atkinson says this campaign will "underscore the activities that schools, families and community groups must take to help all students stay in school to graduate." But there are numerous steps state policymakers can take to help students graduate. One would be to revise North Carolina's retention policy, which results in tens of thousands of students not being promoted to the next grade each year, increasing the chances they will drop out. Revising suspension policies to keep more students in class would also be a big step toward getting more children to graduation day.
Interested in working to improve public education in North Carolina? NC Community Advocates for Revitalizing Education (NCCARE) is a statewide coalition of parents, teachers and community leaders dedicated to ensuring that every student in North Carolina receives a sound basic education.
For more information, contact Beth Jacobs at mailto:beth@ncjustice.org
