High school graduation rates in the U.S. have been steadily increasing since the early 2000s. However, the first full school year after the onset of COVID-19 saw a dip in graduation rates. In some states, this dip was as high as 2.6 percentage points. While we may not be able to see the full picture
Over half of teachers who are members of the nation’s largest teacher’s union are considering leaving the profession early, according to a January 2022 poll from the National Education Association. Schools are also short-staffed across the country, and 80% of union members said they’ve had to take on a heavier workload to make up for
Over the past two years, we’ve seen historic declines in public school enrollment, especially among students in grades K-8. While public school enrollment for high school students (grades 9-12) has actually increased, the uptick has been for public charter school enrollment, not traditional public school enrollment. Read the full report from The Journal. From 2019-2021,
Brittney always wanted to get her high school diploma, but an unexpected pregnancy put her graduation plans on pause. “I got pregnant at 16 and just didn’t want to go to school pregnant and have the other kids talk about me,” Brittney said. “I really had no choice but to drop out.” Over the next
What is Juneteenth, and how can educators recognize the first newly declared federal holiday since Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was passed into law in 1983? Most school children learn that President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation January 1, 1863, ending slavery. However, what is less commonly known is that even though the proclamation
By Dr. Jeffrey Kissinger, Chief Academic Officer Everyone knows when the worldwide pandemic closed schools, students and teachers were thrust into a virtual school environment. But what is less commonly known is online education existed for a long time before the pandemic, and there are a variety of rigorous standards used to evaluate quality in
At Graduation Alliance, helping high school dropouts and at-risk students get back on track to graduation is at the heart of what we do. We provide the pathway to an accredited high school diploma — a 100% online curriculum. But an effective dropout recovery program must do more than provide the pathway. We also provide
At age 20, Elizabeth withdrew from her online high school program. She’d gotten married, had other priorities, and didn’t really feel like her education was going anywhere. She worked a variety of “dead-end” jobs over the next 14 years, but her experience as a security guard for a hospital psychiatric ward inspired her to finish
When Graduation Alliance launched its ENGAGE Attendance Recovery Program in 2020, we created a resource library for our Academic Success Coaches to use with their students. This general list of resources has been a great tool for our team because it provides quick access to resources and community organizations that can help students with academic
Do you have a plan for your district’s 2022 summer school offerings for grades 9-12? Every school district has unique student needs to address, and Graduation Alliance could be a good option for summer course completion for your high school students. Two years into the pandemic, we are still seeing its effects on students. Student