Report finds decline in number of US "dropout factories"
A report released today by America’s Promise Alliance, Civic Enterprises and Johns Hopkins University’s Everyone Graduates Center shows that high schools across the country have made strides in retaining and graduating students in recent years.
Highlights of the report include:
The report found that nationwide, the number of “dropout factory” high schools fell by 13 percent – from 2,007 in 2002 to 1,746 in 2008. The report also found that across the country, the number of high schools where 40 percent or more of the students fail to graduate fell significantly from 2002 to 2008, according to analysis of government data. And, nationwide, the U.S. graduation rate increased from 72 percent in 2002 to 75 percent in 2008
The report also found that in Maryland:
The number of “dropout factory” high schools increased by 10 – from 17 in 2002 to 27 in 2008; and the state's graduation rate increased from 79.7 percent in 2002 to 80.4 percent in 2008.
Baltimoresun.com's 
Comments
More detials please... If the number when from 11 to 10 in Maryland cities that would mean that there was an increase in the counties.
Posted by: OverTheTop | November 30, 2010 5:30 PM
Maybe the uptick in the # of dropout factories in MD is due to the fact that we have more schools now? A lot of the large failing schools have been subdivided into many more smaller, failing schools. I wonder what else can account for it?
Posted by: Nadine Von Canstricus | December 1, 2010 11:57 AM
@Nadine
I don't think so. The report talked about how nationwide, suburbs and towns saw the greatest drops in the number of dropout factories as opposed to cities and rural areas, which showed more modest gains. In that section, the report states:
"A closer look, however, reveals more complexity. At the state level, suburban and town districts either saw declines in the number of weak promoting power high schools or stayed the same, except Maryland which saw a 10-school increase." (p. 34)
The report then goes on to talk about other states and doesn't return to Maryland on this issue. I interpret this to mean that Maryland's 10 school increase came in the suburbs and towns and not in Baltimore or rural areas. However, I admit that that sentence is not totally clear.
Posted by: Simon | December 3, 2010 9:50 AM