K-12 Education
| Increase in the nation's high school graduation rate needed by 2020 |
Additional students needed to be retained by reducing the dropout rate |
|---|---|
| 17.5 percentage points | 5.7 million |
Quality primary and secondary education is essential for achieving President Obama’s goal of making the U.S. the global leader in the production of postsecondary education graduates by 2020. Yet, despite years of K-12 education reform efforts, the nation continues to face persistent obstacles to improving academic outcomes for students. This has been especially true for children and youth—especially males from racial and ethnic subgroups—attending high poverty primary and secondary schools (Schott Foundation, 2010). A mountain of evidence indicates that individuals and the nation incur heavy social and economic costs when our schools fail to meet children’s educational needs.
Strategy 1: Redefine the Federal Education Role to Foster School and Student Success.
Strategy 2: Ensure that Students Stay on the College and Career Track.
Strategy 3: Ensure Equitable Access to Key Educational Resources.
Strategy 4: Expand Educational Opportunities Through Promotion of Racial, Ethnic and Economic Diversity.
Strategy 5: Reinforce a Core Curriculum that Includes Civics, Arts, Music and Physical Education.
Strategy 6: Broaden Curricula and Expand Essential Student Supports.
