CONTACT: Will Potter  (202) 822-7823

October 3, 2006

Educators Announce Joint Action Plan
to Address School Dropout Crisis

NEA releases 12-point plan for parents, educators,
business leaders and lawmakers to reduce high school dropout rate

"We’ve identified the crisis, and it will take everyone sharing responsibility to correct it," said Reg Weaver, NEA president, at a press conference today in Washington, D.C. "This is no longer about students slipping through the cracks of our educational system.  Those cracks are now craters."

Despite a number of targeted efforts, the nation's high school dropout rate remains high.  Some experts say that nearly one third of all public school students fail to graduate with their class.  According to "The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives of High School Dropouts," the national graduation rate is between 68 percent and 71 percent; the graduation rate for Black, Hispanic and Native American students is about 50 percent, while "graduation rates for Whites and Asians hover around 75 percent to 77 percent, respectively."

Dropping out of high school places students at a long-term disadvantage. A high school dropout earns $260,000 less over his or her lifetime than a high school graduate and is 72 percent more likely to be unemployed.

"In the Hispanic community, we have struggled with high dropout rates, and low graduation rates for a very long time, but with little national attention, and even less action," said U.S. Representative Rubén Hinojosa, a Democrat from Texas. " Today, however, I am hopeful that with the NEA initiative and our efforts in Congress, we will find the will to put in place the policies and investments necessary to ensure that all of our students are able to attain a high school diploma, preparing them for postsecondary education and careers."

Dropouts are more likely to end up in the criminal justice system: 80 percent of individuals in prison do not have a high school diploma. And students who drop out are less likely to be engaged in the political process, as college graduates are three times more likely to vote than Americans without a high school diploma.

Weaver was joined by Hinojosa; Jan Harp Domene, national president-elect of the PTA; John Bridgeland, author of a research report on dropouts; and Kathryn Brown, senior vice president of Verizon.

NEA outlined a 12-point plan to stem dropout rates, including:

• Mandatory high school graduation or equivalency for everyone below the age of 21
• Workplace options that allow parents to participate in their child's education
• Early intervention through high-quality universal preschool and full-day kindergarten programs.

"When a student drops out of school, we all pay," Bridgeland said. "And when public schools are strong, we all benefit, through a stronger economy and a democracy made up of more informed and engaged citizens."

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The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing 3.2 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators and students preparing to become teachers.