High School Graduation, Completion, and Dropouts: Federal Policy, Programs, and Issues

Publication Date: April 2007

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: Education

Type:

Abstract:

This report discusses federal policy, programs, and issues related to high school graduation, completion, and dropouts. The discussion covers the provisions enacted in federal law that govern the definition, calculation, and reporting requirements of these critical high school outcomes. (Note: this report does not address the issue of academic achievement among high school graduates.) The report then looks at historical data as well as the most recent indicators of these outcomes. That analysis is followed by a description of the federal programs designed to help youth who have dropped out, or who are at risk of dropping out, in completing high school or an equivalency certificate program. Finally, the report discusses issues that may arise as Congress considers reauthorizing the laws that pertain to this topic.

The United States has made great strides in secondary school participation during the last century. Yet more than one-quarter of first-year high school students do not receive their diploma in four years. By age 24, more than one in 10 still do not have a high school degree or its equivalent. During the 2003-04 school year alone, nearly 5% of students dropped out of high school. In addition, dropout rates vary significantly by race/ethnicity and immigration status, with very high rates among Hispanics and new immigrants.

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act, authorizes several dropout prevention programs and contains the main federal requirements that stipulate how graduation, completion, and dropout rates are to be calculated and reported. Additional dropout prevention programs are authorized in the Higher Education Act and the Workforce Investment Act. These programs may be categorized as having: (1) the primary purpose of helping students complete high school, (2) multiple purposes, at least one of which is targeted toward dropout recovery or dropout prevention, or (3) broad purposes not explicitly encompassing dropouts but whose funds may be used at local discretion to help students complete high school.

Each of these acts is likely to be considered for reauthorization in the 110th Congress. Several issues may be debated as Congress considers reauthorizing some, and perhaps all, of the federal programs and provisions pertaining to high school graduation, completion, and dropouts. These issues include program coordination, targeting, and effectiveness; the quality and reporting of data required to assess high school outcomes; whether the federal effort should focus on "at-risk" students or "out-of-school" youth; and whether recently enacted testing and accountability requirements have the perverse effect of increasing high school dropout rates.