Kerry Plan for 1 Million More Americans to Graduate High School

5/4/2004

From: Sarah Gegenhiemer of John Kerry for President, 202-712-3000

WASHINGTON, May 4 -- The John Kerry for President campaign today released Kerry's plan for 1 million more Americans to graduate from high school:

JOHN KERRY'S PLAN FOR ONE MILLION MORE AMERICANS TO GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

George Bush pledged to "leave no child behind" and end the "soft bigotry of low expectations." Yet as President, he has ignored an extraordinary crisis -- that nearly one-third of our children are not even graduating from high school. This loss of human talent is a clear and present danger to the future of our economy and our nation.

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act has provisions designed to ensure that states raising standards are also achieving high graduation rates. Unfortunately, the Bush Administration has not enforced these provisions properly, accepting poor reporting and reinforcing low expectations for historically disadvantaged young people. Under current regulations, administrators can push out lower-achieving students in order to boost test scores. Adding insult to injury, George Bush has repeatedly proposed cutting initiatives that increase graduation rates like smaller schools and dropout prevention.

John Kerry believes we will build a stronger America by giving all young people the opportunity to achieve their potential. And he believes the way to increase graduation rates is not to lower expectations, but to make sure students reach them. That is why John Kerry is committed to increasing achievement not only for the more than 1 million young people who do not graduate each year, but for the much larger group of 6 million students who are at risk of dropping out or graduating without the skills they need.

In partnership with states, John Kerry will commit to increasing the number of graduates by 1 million over the next five years, and he will reward states for achieving that result:

-- Create an Education Trust Fund that will fully fund No Child Left Behind, which President Bush has underfunded by more than $26 billion.

-- Strengthen middle schools through mentoring and college partnerships;

-- Strengthen high school education, by promoting smaller schools and more challenging high school curricula, with literacy education for students who have fallen behind; and

-- Require young people to do their part, supporting states that can revoke driver's licenses from students who drop out.

-- Enforce the provisions of NCLB which require full disclosure and accountability for graduation rates.

THE IMPORTANCE OF HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION

A high school diploma is critical to success in today's economy.

Higher Earnings. On average, graduation from high school rather than dropping out means $270,000 more in earnings over a lifetime. Graduation also opens the door to further education and opportunity: college graduates in turn earn about 1 million dollars more than high-school graduates. (U.S. Census Bureau, 2003)

Greater Contributions. According to the General Accounting Office, "Dropouts are about three times as likely as high school completers who do not go on to college to be welfare recipients, and about 30 percent of federal and 40 percent of state prison inmates are high school dropouts." (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2003)

ADMITTING THE FACTS: A GRADUATION CRISIS

Traditional Measures of Graduation Rates Prove Inflated and Unreliable. According to the National Center on Education Statistics, an official source of graduation data, more than 85 percent of students complete high school. Many states report similarly impressive numbers, sometimes more than 95 percent. Yet recent studies by several leading researchers show that these data are badly inflated by unreliable self-reporting, among other factors. (Manhattan Institute, 2003; Urban Institute, 2003)

A CASE STUDY: "THE TEXAS MIRACLE"

President Bush campaigned on the "Texas Miracle," where test scores allegedly grew even as dropout rates declined. But recent evidence shows that much of this miracle was a "Texas tall tale." While Texas has reported a graduation rate above 80 percent, the true level is 65 percent, below the national average. Houston, where Education Secretary Rod Paige formerly served as superintendent, has fared especially badly. A recent audit of just 16 schools shows that literally 3,000 students who dropped out of school were improperly classified as "transfers." "Houston as a whole reported a 1.5 percent annual dropout rate, though education experts estimate that the true percentage of students who quit before graduation is nearer 40 percent." Other experts placed Houstons dropout rate as high as 50 percent. (Harvard Civil Rights Project, 2004; New York Times, 7/26/2003; New York Times, 7/11/2003; 60 Minutes, 1/7/04)

The True Picture: Nearly One Third Dropping Out. Researchers from a wide range of research institutionsthe Education Trust, the Harvard Civil Rights Project, the Manhattan Institute, and the Urban Institutehave all examined graduation rates and all come to the same conclusion: the true rates are far lower than traditional statistics suggest. As Jay Greene of the Manhattan Institute notes, "Every year about a million young people who should graduate from high school don't, condemning them to a lifetime of lower income and limited opportunities." These studies reach similar conclusions: nearly one-third of America's young people do not graduate from high school with regular diplomas.

The data are particularly bleak for racial minorities and poor children. Only about one-half of African-American and Latino youths graduate from high school, with some states showing that only about a third of these children graduate. Graduation rates are also markedly lower for low-income children and for boys.

THE BUSH RECORD: COOKING THE BOOKS, EXCUSING FAILURE

Congress Recognized Risk of "Pushout." In enacting NCLB, Congress recognized that emphasizing test scores could lead some educators to take the short cut of raising average scores by "pushing out" low scoring students. Congress incorporated graduation rates into the measure of Adequate Yearly Progress in order "to discourage schools from raising their achievement levels by pushing out lower-performing students." Language in the congressional report reflects this intent. (Swanson, 10/03; H.R. Rep. 107-334)

No Child Left Behind Tracks Graduation Rates. Under NCLB, states must report graduation rates for all high school students, measured as "the percentage of students who graduate from secondary school with a regular diploma in the standard number of years." In other words, states must report how many ninth graders obtain a diploma in June of their senior year. In addition, states must also demonstrate achievement on their graduation rate goal. (20 U.S.C. 6311((b)(2)(C)(vi); 115 STAT.1447.)

Unfortunately, George Bush has broken faith with these requirements.

1. Cooking the Books

Bush Administration Ignores Truth. George Bush's Department of Education has made little effort to obtain accurate data from states on graduation rates. Specifically, the Department of Education has:

-- Offered "contradictory guidance" on the data that states should report concerning graduation rates, suggesting that states could use measures different from those in the law.

-- Allowed states to create definitions of graduation different from the one in the law, recreating the very problems that led to inflated graduation rates in the first place.

-- Allowed some states not to report any data at all.

-- Made no effort to ensure uniformity in the data reported by the states.

These failures have been subject to sharp criticism. "The U.S. Department of Education has not provided the leadership and enforcement that would have produced better data....The Department's inaction is sending a strong message about priorities, one that is at odds with the priorities expressed in the law." The Bush Administration has belatedly attempted to address only some of these concerns. (Education Trust, December 2003)

2. Bringing Back "Soft Racism of Low Expectations"

NCLB Insists on Success for All. The No Child Left Behind Act insists on progress not only for students in the aggregate, but also for groups that have too often been ignored: racial minorities, children new to the English language, students with disabilities, and low-income children. No Child Left Behind requires each group to progress. The purpose of this requirement was to end "the soft bigotry of low expectations," as President Bush calls it -- the old systems that unjustly maintained separate expectations for different groups of students.

Bush Does Not Insist on Success for All in Graduation Rates. In spite of his rhetoric and the law, George Bush's Education Department issued a controversial ruling saying that in key instances, state graduation rates need not be used. At the very moment when we are supposed to be insisting on progress from all children, the Bush Administration has sent the signal that it is acceptable for disproportionate numbers of African-Americans, Hispanics Americans, and American Indians to drop out of school. As critics have noted, "this decision represents a substantive departure from the law's disaggregation requirement for accountability purposes in testing, and does not reflect the will of Congress." (Harvard Civil Rights Project, 2004; 34 C.F.R. 200.19(d)(2), December 2, 2002)

3. Eliminating Proven Methods of Reducing Dropout Rates

Proposed Eliminating Smaller Schools Initiative. Although smaller schools have been proven to reduce dropout rates, President Bush has tried to eliminate more than $150 million in funding for smaller schools in each of his four budgets. (U.S. Budget; U.S. Department of Education)

Proposed Eliminating Dropout Prevention. In his last three budgets, President Bush has specifically sought to eliminate the federal dropout prevention initiative championed by Senator Jeff Bingaman. This initiative has supported mentoring and ESL classes for first-generation Hispanic immigrants at Roberto Clemente high school in Chicago; small business training for Native Americans in Poplar Montana; and mentoring and school-to-work programs in Toccoa, Georgia. (U.S. Budget; U.S. Department of Education)

Underfunded No Child Left Behind by More Than $26 Billion. If schools are to meet the accountability requirements of No Child Left Behind, they need the resources to do so. Yet over the last four years, George Bush has underfunded the NCLB by $26.6 billion, including $9.4 billion in his most recent budget. (Comparing authorization level with appropriation levels for fiscal years 2002 to 2004 and President's request for 2005.)

4. Doing Nothing to Prevent "Push Out."

Failing to Address "Push Out." While holding states accountable to raise test scores, the Administration is doing little to require progress on graduation rates. This combination means that a school can look good if its test scores are rising, even if fewer students are graduating. There is now a positive incentive for "push out": "by approving...permissive plans, while holding firm on test-driven accountability, the Department has effectively allowed the incentives to push out low achieving students to continue unchecked." The Bush Administration has done nothing to prevent "push outs" from occurring, as they have in New York City and elsewhere. (Harvard Civil Rights Project, 2004; New York Times, July 31, 2003)

JOHN KERRY'S PLAN: INCREASE ACHIEVEMENT FOR ALL STUDENTS AND HELP 1 MILLION CHILDREN GRADUATE

John Kerry believes we should aim high when it comes to graduation, setting a national goal of turning one million potential dropouts into graduates over the next five years, and rewarding states that progress toward that goal. He also believes that the way to reduce dropout rates is not to lower standards, but to ensure that all students have the skills needed to meet them. That will require improving our entire educational system, from expanding pre-kindergarten opportunities to improving teaching. Among other things, John Kerry will:

1. Invest in an Education Trust Fund. While George Bush has underfunded No Child Left Behind, John Kerry will create an Education Trust Fund that will fully fund the Act's commitments and put us on the path to fully funding special education. With these resources, schools will be able to invest in hiring great teachers, reducing class sizes, and improving instruction so all children are prepared to meet the rigorous standards in NCLB.

2. Strengthen Middle School Education. One of the best ways to ensure children graduate the 12th grade is to ensure they arrive in the 9th grade prepared for the challenges of high school. Yet all too often, adolescents flounder during the transition to high school, perceiving little chance that success in school will have tangible results. Interventions like GEAR UP, which pairs colleges with middle- and high-schools in low-income communities and provides students with mentors, have a proven record of success in increasing both high school graduation and college attendance rates. John Kerry will invest in these initiatives, engaging at least 100,000 more college students in mentoring during college.

3. Strengthen High School Education. Today, federal policy is heavily focused on improving elementary schools, even though high schools have very serious problems. Compared to students in other countries, the performance of American students severely declines in high school. John Kerry will tackle this problem head on. He will:

-- Break Up Troubled Large High Schools. Students perform better in schools where adults know their names and their needsknow if they have a special talent or a special problem that must be addressed. Research backs up this intuition: we have seen success in breaking up big urban high schools into career academies, good alternative schools, and other innovative schools. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation recently proposed a major investment in breaking up big high schools. John Kerry will support efforts to break up troubled big high schools into component parts where students feel more at home. (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2003)

-- Support Development of a Rigorous High School Curriculum. A wealth of evidence that students of all abilities learn more in college-prep courses, and that students are more likely to pass high-level courses than low-level ones. In fact, many students in high-poverty schools drop out because they are bored, and they are bored at least in part because their schools do not offer challenging coursework. More than one-quarter of high school graduates, who presumably should be ready for college, immediately take remedial English or math courses. John Kerry will fund a national initiative to align the academic standards (not specific content) in high school with the knowledge and skills replaced for college and work, and he then will provide incentives for states to ensure that their curricula meet these broad standards. For those students who struggle with basic skills, he will support expanded adolescent literacy programs. (Education Trust, Winter 2003; Achieve, 2004; Alliance for Excellent Education, 2004)

4. Hold Young People Accountable By Revoking Driver's Licenses.

While the nation has a responsibility to help more young people learn and graduate, young people have a responsibility to stay in school and do their part. Several states can deny driver's licenses to young people who drop out of high school. There is preliminary evidence that these and similar programs get results. John Kerry will support states that experiment with these programs.

5. Honor the Provisions of NCLB Requiring Accountability for Graduation Rates. Unlike George Bush, John Kerry will make sure that NCLB requires accountability for graduation rates. Kerry supports greater flexibility so that NCLB does not cause absurd consequences and works as intended, but he rejects George Bushs view that states should be able to ignore graduation rates. He will require uniform and accurate data on graduation rates from all schools and districts and require disaggregation of graduation data so we know that all groups are achieving.

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Sources:

-- 60 Minutes II, The Texas Miracle, January 7, 2004

-- Education Trust, A New Core Curriculum for All, Winter 2003.

-- Education Trust, Telling the Whole Truth (or Not) About High School Graduation, December 2003.

-- Jay P. Greene & Greg Forster, Manhattan Institute, Public High School Graduation Rates and College Readiness Rates in the United States, September 2003.

-- Gary Orfield et al., Harvard Civil Rights Project-Urban Institute, Losing Our Future: How Minority Youth Are Being Left Behind by the Graduation Rate Crisis, February 2004.

-- Diana Jean Schemo, Education Secretary Defends School System He Once Led, New York Times, July 26, 2003.

-- Diana Jean Schemo, Questions on Data Cloud Luster of Houston Schools, New York Times, July 11, 2003.

Christopher Swanson, Keeping Count and Losing Count, Urban Institute, August 2003.

Christopher Swanson, Ten Questions (and Answers) about Graduates, Dropouts, and NCLB Accountability, Urban Institute, October 21, 2003.

U.S. Census Bureau, The Big Payoff: Educational Attainment and Synthetic Estimates of Work-Life Earnings, 2003.

Paid for by John Kerry for President, Inc.