The US government offered a mixed bag of education data this month.
The high school dropout rate hit a record low, but college enrolment is
also falling. What it means depends on who you talk to.
“In 1920, the high school graduation rates in the US were around 20%; over 100 years we’ve come a long way,” said Alex Bowers, a professor at the Teachers College at Columbia University.
The Census Bureau’s October Current Population Survey showed that in 2013, 7.3% of young people between 18 and 24 had dropped out, continuing a decline from 12.1% in 2004.
“It’s not all roses,” said Bowers. “The graph still shows that there’s a lot of work to be done.”
The data still shows high dropout rates among Hispanic and black men, at 14.7% and 9.6% respectively. College attendance is also dropping off. In 2011, a record 16.6m students attended college – the largest number ever. That dipped to 15.7m last year.
Many attribute the bulge in college enrolment earlier in the decade to the bad economy, the same driver behind increased high school graduation rates in the 1920s.
But lower dropout rates do not necessarily translate to better outcomes for students. For one thing, researchers question whether the quality of the education that high school students receive before graduating is as good as it used to be.
“There’s this moving target of what we consider to be a high school graduate,” said John Eric Humphries, a National Science Foundation research fellow at the University of Chicago. “There’s this constant balance between us believing that rigorous high schools are sliding, and wanting to have more high school graduates.”
And while dropout rates are falling, the number of people receiving high school equivalency degrees may be rising. But, as Census Bureau researchers have found, people who have gotten their degree by passing the GED – the most common high school equivalency test – earn $1,600 less per month in median income than high school diploma holders.
“To say we’re raising standards but at the same time producing more GED equivalents, and say that’s a victory … I think that’s short-sighted,” said Humphries.
Hispanic people in particular, who account for a large portion of the declining dropout rate, took the GED test in record numbers in 2013. The company that administers the GED found that the percentage of Hispanic test-takers increased from 16.7% to 24.9%.
“In 1920, the high school graduation rates in the US were around 20%; over 100 years we’ve come a long way,” said Alex Bowers, a professor at the Teachers College at Columbia University.
The Census Bureau’s October Current Population Survey showed that in 2013, 7.3% of young people between 18 and 24 had dropped out, continuing a decline from 12.1% in 2004.
“It’s not all roses,” said Bowers. “The graph still shows that there’s a lot of work to be done.”
The data still shows high dropout rates among Hispanic and black men, at 14.7% and 9.6% respectively. College attendance is also dropping off. In 2011, a record 16.6m students attended college – the largest number ever. That dipped to 15.7m last year.
Many attribute the bulge in college enrolment earlier in the decade to the bad economy, the same driver behind increased high school graduation rates in the 1920s.
But lower dropout rates do not necessarily translate to better outcomes for students. For one thing, researchers question whether the quality of the education that high school students receive before graduating is as good as it used to be.
“There’s this moving target of what we consider to be a high school graduate,” said John Eric Humphries, a National Science Foundation research fellow at the University of Chicago. “There’s this constant balance between us believing that rigorous high schools are sliding, and wanting to have more high school graduates.”
And while dropout rates are falling, the number of people receiving high school equivalency degrees may be rising. But, as Census Bureau researchers have found, people who have gotten their degree by passing the GED – the most common high school equivalency test – earn $1,600 less per month in median income than high school diploma holders.
“To say we’re raising standards but at the same time producing more GED equivalents, and say that’s a victory … I think that’s short-sighted,” said Humphries.
Hispanic people in particular, who account for a large portion of the declining dropout rate, took the GED test in record numbers in 2013. The company that administers the GED found that the percentage of Hispanic test-takers increased from 16.7% to 24.9%.
No comments:
Post a Comment