Report Identifies Big-City School Districts Beating Graduation Expectations
CONTACT: Chloe Louvouezo, (202) 955-9450 ext. 320, clouvouezo@communicationworks.com
High School Graduation Rate Improves Over Past Decade;
Recent Declines Threaten Progress
WHAT: A press conference to release Diplomas Count 2009, titled Broader Horizons: The Challenge of College Readiness for All Students. The fourth annual report from Education Week and the Editorial Projects in Education (EPE) Research Center includes a comprehensive analysis of graduation rates for the nation, all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and every school district in the country.
This year’s report investigates one of the most critical issues facing the nation’s educational and economic future—the challenge to prepare all students for college. The report maps out the policy and reform landscape defining the college-ready agenda, profiles one school’s efforts to nurture a college-going culture, and examines how better data and accountability systems can help support readiness initiatives. Diplomas Count 2009 also tracks graduation policies and presents an updated analysis of graduation rates and trends for the nation, states, and 50 largest school systems. For the first time, the report identifies several dozen big-city urban districts that are exceeding expectations when it comes to graduation.
WHO: Christopher B. Swanson, Director, EPE Research Center
Marshall S. Smith, Senior Counselor to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan
David T. Conley, Director, Center for Educational Policy Research, University of Oregon
Nancy Hoffman, Vice President, Youth Transitions; Director, Early College High School Initiative, Jobs for the Future
Anthony Amato, Superintendent, Stockton Unified School District
WHEN: Tuesday, June 9, 2009, 9 a.m.—11 a.m. EDT
WHERE: National Press Club
Holeman Lounge
529 14th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20045
On June 9, Diplomas Count 2009 will be available at www.edweek.org/go/dc09.
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Editorial Projects in Education (EPE) is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization based in Bethesda, Md. Its primary mission is to help raise the level of awareness and understanding among professionals and the public of important issues in American education. EPE covers local, state, national, and international news and issues from preschool through the 12th grade. Editorial Projects in Education Inc. publishes Education Week, AmericaÂ’s newspaper of record for precollegiate education, Teacher Magazine, edweek.org, and the TopSchoolJobs employment resource. It also produces periodic special reports on issues ranging from technology to textbooks, as well as books of special interest to educators.
The EPE Research Center conducts annual policy surveys, collects data, and performs analyses that appear in the Quality Counts, Technology Counts, and Diplomas Count annual reports. The center also produces independent research reports and contributes original data and analysis to special coverage in Education Week, Teacher Magazine, and edweek.org.
