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How a dropout factory raised its graduation rate from 53 percent to 75 percent in three years

The Hechinger Report

According to data provided by district officials, in spring 2016 (the most recent year available), Webster graduated 75 percent of its seniors, a 22-point increase in just three years. Related: How one district solved its special education dropout problem. The results have been impressive. Photo: Amadou Diallo for The Hechinger Report.

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OPINION: Why school shutdowns are a disaster for science classes

The Hechinger Report

For many of these students and others coming from low-income backgrounds, science knowledge gaps exist even prior to kindergarten entry but become gravely amplified in primary and secondary schools. Unsurprisingly, such foundational STEM disparities extend far beyond secondary school education.

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States use direct mail, money, to get more of their residents back to college

The Hechinger Report

The push to reach these dropouts by Mississippi and other states, including Indiana and Tennessee, reflects a growing recognition that there just aren’t enough students coming out of U.S. Go Back” campaign in Indiana, among the several states trying to get college dropouts to finish their college educations.

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OPINION: How identifying struggling students in middle school can keep struggling students from dropping out of high school

The Hechinger Report

At a time when little to no work exists for a high school dropout to support a family, the community, as a result, falls deeper into despair. With the additional help, he forged through school, graduating in 2016. If they fail too many, they are held back and asked to try again under the same conditions. Take Noe Castro’s story.

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DEBT WITHOUT DEGREE: The human cost of college debt that becomes “purgatory”

The Hechinger Report

By 2025, more than 60 percent of Georgia jobs will require some kind of post-secondary education, and now only 45 percent of the state’s young adults meet that criterion. Students who withdraw are also much more likely to default on their loans; dropouts make up two-thirds of defaults nationwide. In 2016 it was 79 percent.

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Minnesota has a persistent higher-ed gap: Are new efforts making a difference?

The Hechinger Report

With people of color expected to make up a quarter of the state’s population by 2035, these gaps represent an economic threat to Minnesota; unless more residents get to and through college, there won’t be enough qualified workers to fill the jobs that require a post-secondary degree or certificate. “[O]ur Kelly Field for The Hechinger Report.

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How one district solved its special education dropout problem

The Hechinger Report

The district’s class of 2010 had a 73 percent graduation rate for students in special education and a 13 percent dropout rate — double the dropout rate for the student body overall. The high dropout rate for students with disabilities is a pressing national problem. Covina-Valley has seen its efforts pay off.

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