Rural Leader Magazine July/Augsut 2015

Keeping Teens on Track: National High School Graduation Rate Still Shows Room for Improvement It's graduation season, and across the country ing as a whole. The American economy will lose many families will revel in their graduate's accomnearly $159 billion in lost taxes and higher govplishments. Nationally, there's reason to celebrate, ernment expenditures over the students' lifetimes, too; 81 percent of American high school seniors according to Williams. are expected to graduate this year, the highest rate Teens fail to graduate for a number of reasons, ever, according to the U.S. Department of Education including failing coursework, falling into the wrong (DOE). But there's sobering news as well. According crowd and traumatic home or school events causing to a StageofLife.com teen survey, nearly half of all chronic absenteeism, according to America's Promise high schoolers know someone who's not graduating. Alliance. Yet when teens get the support they need, With nearly 20 percent of teens expected not to they are more likely to remain in or return to school; graduate this year, educators and administrators are 41 percent of teens surveyed by the Alliance said not the only ones responsible for closing this gradencouragement from someone else inspired them to uation gap. For example, youth advocates like Boys stay in or return to school. & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) are collaborat "As a company that gives many young Americans ing with corporate initiatives, such as the Taco Bell their very first job, we're invested in supporting teens Foundation(TM), to provide teens a critical pathway and young adults," says Brian Niccol, chief executive towards high school graduation and beyond that will officer at Taco Bell Corp. "We're passionate about inspire them to reach their full potential and achieve doing our part to instill in youth confidence to tackle their educational and career goals. the next big thing, to succeed, to be the best expres "We know that failing to graduate high school has sion of themselves, to lead, to use their voice to go a severe long-term impact on a young person's ability after a cause, and to have an impact in their commuto secure employment and affects virtually every asnities-and this begins by supporting teens to ensure pect of his/her life," says Dr. Damon Williams, chief they graduate high school." educational and youth development officer at BGCA. For nearly two decades, Boys & Girls Clubs of "Our Club's year-round programs at 4,100-plus America has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the locations across the country help ensure teens have non-profit Taco Bell Foundation to help teens steer the inspiration, tools and resources needed to stay on their path and equip them with the resources needed track to graduate high school on-time." to succeed in high school. In 2014, Taco Bell Foun The national high school dropout rate affects not dation expanded its partnership with Boys & Girls only the one million teens who fail to graduate and Clubs with a goal of providing a $30 million grant their families, but also our nation's economic standover five years to bring its Graduate for Mas program 10 RuralLeaderMagazine.com | JULY/AUGUST 2015