The University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research and its nonprofit Montana KIDS COUNT recently released a report detailing the personal, statewide and national implications of youth not graduating from high school.
According to the report, people without a high school diploma frequently end up at the lowest end of the economic spectrum, where saving and accumulating assets is hard, with only minimal chances of breaking out of poverty. For the 2009-10 statewide class, 10,349 youth earned diplomas and graduated, while 2,252 students dropped out at some point during the four years of high school.
“The problems that may lead to a child dropping out can start well before high school,” said Daphne Herling, the report’s primary author. “Recognizing these contributing factors would enable educators to intervene at an earlier stage.”
The list of contributing factors includes reading below grade level at the end of third grade, ongoing patterns of absenteeism or tardiness, and lack of connection and engagement in school.
To improve the odds of youth graduating from high school, the KIDS COUNT report presents evidence-based solutions such as strengthening school readiness through improved early childhood education, engaging in higher levels of family and community school involvement, enhancing the connection between school and work and establishing early warning systems to support struggling students. Graduation Matters Missoula and Graduation Matters Montana, initiatives that promote high school graduation, are also highlighted as important first steps toward improving graduation rates.
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