House Committee on Education and Labor Hears Testimony on High School Dropouts

The House Committee on Education and Labor held its second hearing on K-12 education as it prepares to address reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act. This time the topic was the problem of the high school dropout rate. For witnesses, the Committee not only heard from experts from the education community but also sought expertise from four sitting Congressmen.

In his opening remarks, Committee Chair Congressman George Miller (D-CA), announced some startling facts. “Only 70 percent of students graduate with a regular high school diploma. Of these students, fewer than half graduate fully prepared for college-level work or success in the workplace.” Also, approximately 2,000 high schools produce “close to half of our students who drop out.” These high schools are often referred to as “dropout factories.”

Much of the testimony focused on the economic impact of having students drop out of high school. In his written testimony, Bob Wise, President of the Alliance for Excellent Education and former Governor of West Virginia, testified that:

“Individuals who fail to earn a high school diploma are at a great disadvantage when it comes to finding good-paying jobs. The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that in the coming years 90 percent of new high-growth, high-wage jobs will require some postsecondary education. Individuals without a high school diploma will earn significantly less than their better educated peers if they do find a job: high school dropouts earn, on average, $10,000 a year less than high school graduates. Over a lifetime, the difference between the earnings of a high school dropout and a college graduate is more than $1 million.”

Another problem concerning the dropout rate was the high level of minorities finishing high school. According to Representative Miller, “only about 55 percent of African-Americans and 52 percent of Hispanic students graduate on time.”
In a continuing theme from a prior hearing, the witnesses expressed the need for common core standards as part of a solution to eliminating the dropout rate. More fact-finding hearings from the House Education and Labor Committee can be expected as reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act draws closer.

The hearing can be watched here.