Report shows negative effects of dropouts on economy TimesDaily.com The Times Daily Florence, AL:
"The average annual income for a high school dropout in 2005 was $17,299, compared to $26,933 for a high school graduate.
Nationwide, more than 7,000 students become dropouts every school day. Annually, that adds up to almost 1.3 million students who will not graduate from high school on schedule.
In Alabama alone, an estimated 25,136 students from the class of 2009 failed to graduate on time.
'The state has a 40 percent dropout rate, which is absolutely unacceptable,' said Gary Dan Williams, Muscle Shoals Center for Technology director. 'It's everyone's problem, but with the standards in Alabama, the curriculum is designed strictly for college-bound students, and the bottom line is that many students aren't college-bound. The graduation standards are among the highest in the country, but we're letting those kids who can't handle the pressure get down about school and they're dropping out."
"The average annual income for a high school dropout in 2005 was $17,299, compared to $26,933 for a high school graduate.
Nationwide, more than 7,000 students become dropouts every school day. Annually, that adds up to almost 1.3 million students who will not graduate from high school on schedule.
In Alabama alone, an estimated 25,136 students from the class of 2009 failed to graduate on time.
'The state has a 40 percent dropout rate, which is absolutely unacceptable,' said Gary Dan Williams, Muscle Shoals Center for Technology director. 'It's everyone's problem, but with the standards in Alabama, the curriculum is designed strictly for college-bound students, and the bottom line is that many students aren't college-bound. The graduation standards are among the highest in the country, but we're letting those kids who can't handle the pressure get down about school and they're dropping out."
