BUILDING A GRAD NATION: As Number of “Dropout Factories” Falls, Nation On Track for First Time to Meet 90 Percent High School Graduation Rate Goal, New Report Finds Article

GOOD NEWS FOR GRADUATION RATES: Nation’s High School Graduation Rate Highest Since 1974 Article

On January 22, the U.S. Department of Education released new data showing that the nation’s high school graduation rate rose 2.7 percentage points to 78.2 percent, the highest level in more than three decades based on a measurement called Averaged Freshman Graduation Rate (AFGR).

A STRONGER NATION: United States Makes Modest Progress in College Attainment Rates, New Report Finds Article

The percentage of Americans aged twenty-five to sixty-four years with a two- or four-year college degree was 38.3 percent in 2010, a slight increase from 2009 (38.1 percent) and 2008 (37.9 percent), according to a new report from the Lumina Foundation, which adopted a “Big Goal” in 2009 that 60 percent of Americans obtain a high-quality postsecondary degree or credential by 2025.

CATCH THE WAIVE: Eleven States Receive Flexibility Under NCLB in Exchange for Reform Article

Eleven states will receive flexibility under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act in exchange for their commitment to raise standards, improve accountability, and undertake essential reforms to improve teacher effectiveness.

WAIVING AWAY HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION RATE ACCOUNTABILITY?: State NCLB Waiver Proposals Threaten to Weaken Accountability for High School Graduation Rates Article

In September 2011, with the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)—currently known as the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act—stalled in the U.S. Congress, President Obama outlined a plan to provide states flexibility within specific provisions of the law in exchange for state-led reform efforts to close achievement gaps, evaluate teachers and principals, promote rigorous accountability, and ensure that all students are on track to graduate ready for college and a career.