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Source: Phi Delta Kappan
Resulting in 1 citation.
1. Mishel, Lawrence
Roy, Joydeep
Accurately Assessing High School Graduation Rates
Phi Delta Kappan 88,4 (December 2006): 287-292
Cohort(s): NLS General, NLSY79, NLSY97
Publisher: Phi Delta Kappa International
Keyword(s): Census of Population; Ethnic Studies; Gender; High School and Beyond (HSB); High School Completion/Graduates; High School Dropouts; Hispanics; National Education Longitudinal Survey (NELS); Racial Studies

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

The article focuses on high school graduation rates in the United States. The authors argue that there is not a dropout crisis, and that conventional wisdom about graduation rates is based on flawed analyses of allegedly inadequate data. The authors claim that graduation rates have actually increased, especially among minority students. Their methods of collecting data and determining their results are discussed.

The NELS results are confirmed by two other large-scale longitudinal surveys, the National Longitudinal Surveys of Youth (often referred to as NLSY97 and NLSY79) conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. They show that, for persons aged 20 to 22 in 2002 (including those in prison), the overall graduation rate is the same as in NELS: 82% overall, 75% for blacks, and 76% for Hispanics. These data also show an improvement in graduation rates for every race and gender group since 1984, except for black men, whose rates have remained steady. The improvements are particularly large and significant for Hispanics, both males and females.

Bibliography Citation
Mishel, Lawrence and Joydeep Roy. "Accurately Assessing High School Graduation Rates." Phi Delta Kappan 88,4 (December 2006): 287-292.