Jeff Bingaman: “This is an amendment to maintain current funding for the school dropout prevention program that is authorized under No…”

“This is an amendment to maintain current funding for the school dropout prevention program that is authorized under No Child Left Behind. The underlying bill would completely eliminate funding for dropout prevention, which I think would be a terrible mistake. This amendment is essential in order that that not occur. Nationally, only two-thirds of our 9th graders will graduate from high school with a diploma after completing the 12th grade. And, only about 50 percent of our Nation's African American, Hispanic, and Native American students will graduate with a high school diploma alongside their classmates. Sadly, a recent report by Educational Testing Services, ETS, makes it clear that the dropout crisis is actually getting worse; the high school completion rate has been steadily declining in 43 States. Even more alarming, the report concludes that students are dropping out at a younger age, meaning dropouts are even less educated now than in previous years. Yet, while dropout rates continue to rise, the Federal Government's response has unfortunately diminished. According to a recent GAO report, the Department of Education has done very little to help States increase graduation rates, and in fact, has failed to disseminate information about effective dropout prevention strategies. GAO found that the Department of Education had failed to rigorously evaluate the effectiveness of various State and local interventions designed to increase high school graduation rates.…”