Education Week and the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center released this year’s edition of Diploma Counts, examining the status of graduation rates and state P-16 and P-20 councils, and whether they can help smooth the transition for school youth to go on to successfully earn college degrees. The report illuminates critical issues on the status of education that have significant policy ramifications.

P-16 councils are state-formed groups of individuals from various levels of education, from preschool to post-college graduates, often including representatives from state government, business and the community. These councils are one of the most popular vehicles in strengthening the connection between public schools and higher education. The councils’ goal is to strengthen ties between schools and postsecondary education and training so students can successful earn a college degree. Currently, 38 states have P-16 or P-20 councils that deal with many of the issues in obtaining this goal.

Diploma Counts found that these councils have steep challenges to address in increasing the number of students obtaining their college degree. One of the main challenges is increasing the number of students that graduate from high school. According to the report, it is estimated that 1.23 million students will fail to graduate from high school this year. However, there are wide disparities between the state-reported graduation rates and the center’s estimates. These disparities are one reason the U.S. Department of Education proposed new rules this spring requiring all states to report graduation rates based on a uniform method that tracks cohorts of students as they progress through high school.

Despite the disparities between reported graduation rates, it is clear that there is difficulty for specific minority groups and specific regions of the nation in graduating students from high school. For example, the report states that 71 percent of ninth graders make it to graduation four years later, according to national 2005 data. This figure reduces to 58 percent for Hispanics, 55 percent for African-Americans and 51 percent for Native Americans. Additionally, while more than eight in ten students graduate on time in states such as Iowa, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, that proportion drops to fewer than six in ten in states such as Georgia, Nevada, Louisiana and South Carolina.

The challenges presented in the report provide multiple opportunities for evaluation and strategic planning to assist policymakers and school districts. The Improve Group is currently working with numerous clients on projects that directly affect the topics mentioned in the report. With the challenges presented in Diploma Counts, there are sure to be more opportunities to address critical issues in improving graduation rates and education.