Huff Post Education – Brian Gallagher
“America’s public high schools are producing fewer graduates — a quarter of the 3.8 million students who entered high school in 2011 will not graduate. But how as a society can we prevent students from dropping out before graduation? One solution is to look at the beginning of a child’s academic career. A strong indicator of student achievement in high school is the skills developed during the elementary and middle school years. Trends across various states and demographics each tell their own story, but the overall message is clear: Students are grossly underprepared in the basic skill sets such as reading comprehension, math and problem-solving that form the foundation of a high school education.” (more)