Afternoon announcements: High school graduation rates highest in 40 years

After stagnating for three decades, the high school graduation rate has reached its highest level in almost 40 years, according to federal data released this morning. The National Center for Education Statistics estimates that 78 percent of all high school students across the country earned a diploma. Washington Post

Obama mentioned education three times in his second-term inauguration address yesterday. See here for the quotes. Washington Post

We’ve been hearing a lot about the new reading standards in the Common Core State Standards. Reading scores for American students are dropping, and the new standards could be a solution. NPR

In order to make proactive, informed decisions about where to attend college, students and parents need to know how much to expect to pay and how much financial aid they will receive. The University of Dayton in Ohio may be the first college to tell prospective students the cost of a four-year degree and lock it in. Chronicle of Higher Education