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Building a Grad Nation: Progress and Challenge in Raising High School Graduation Rates

The final (June 2023) report to the nation on a 20-year effort to boost high school graduation rates shows graduation rates rising from 71 percent in 2001 to 86.5 percent by the Class of 2020, translating into 5 million more students graduating, rather than dropping out, during that period. Despite the great progress made over the course of the 20-year effort culminating in the GradNation Campaign, equity gaps persist, and the COVID-19 pandemic had significant impacts on student learning and health. The report calls for, among other policy recommendations, expanding the use of Student Success Systems. Read more on…

Investing in Adolescents: High School Climate and Organizational Context Shape Student Development and Educational Attainment

New report from the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research shines light on what effective schools do well, demonstrating the value of taking a holistic approach to student development in high school and in transition from 8th to 9th grades. Effective schools cultivate an environment in which students and teachers have positive and productive interactions, students develop peer connections and have a sense of belonging, and students’ orientation toward hard work, effort, and engagement is nurtured. Compared to schools with a singular focus on test scores, schools promoting grown on all dimensions had a greater impact on short- and long-term…

In School, Engaged, On-track? The Effect of the Pandemic on Student Attendance, Course Grades, and Grade Retention in North Carolina 

This study provides new evidence of the pandemic’s negative impact on student outcomes, highlighting its variable and disproportionate effects for historically marginalized groups, including Black and Hispanic students, EDS students, and ELL students. Results underscore the need for implementing tiered, targeted interventions to provide appropriate supports for students with different needs, as well as the imperative that administrators, policymakers, and researchers pay attention to the full distribution of student outcomes to ensure recovery reaches all students. 

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