More Resources Simon Discusses Need for Better Graduation Rate Data

Deputy Secretary of Education Ray Simon released the following statement today at the National Governors Association meeting regarding the Department's proposed new Averaged Freshman Graduation Rate, which will improve the quality of graduation rate data to make high schools more accountable and to help prevent students from dropping out:

There is no doubt that this nation needs a better way to get a handle on how many students graduate from high school. Right now, each state calculates and reports graduation rates differently, which prevents us from seeing the big picture of the country's education level.

For this reason, the U.S. Department of Education will continue to collect and report graduation rates from the states and use that data to calculate the Averaged Freshman Graduation Rate, which will be reported alongside the rates reported by each state. This new figure is a more comprehensive and accurate assessment of the percentage of students who graduate from high school on time, four years after they enter.

This change in reporting graduation rates ultimately helps not just educators, but students as well. Improving the accuracy of our graduation statistics allows us to better target resources and tailor instruction for children who might otherwise fall through the cracks and eventually drop out. The Department will now be able to see national trends better and to identify which states need to improve their individual reporting the most.

The Governors have acknowledged the need for a consistent graduation rate across the states and we support their efforts and value their input. This additional information we will report simply complements the long-term recommendation they have put forth.

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