A Call for High School Reform

8/13/2019 A Call for High School Reform

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a call for

highschool reform

T H I S R E P O R T S P O N S O R E D B Y

colorado small schools initiativeA T T H E colorado childrens campaign

m a r c h 2 0 0 3


2/241c o l o r a d o s m a l l s c h o o l s i n i t i a t i v e a t t h e c o l o r a d o c h i l d r e n s c a m p a i g n

The need for a successful high school educationhas never been greater. Yet high schools inColorado and throughout the country are notmeeting the needs of vast numbers of students.In this paper, we take a hard look at high schooleducation in Colorado. What we find is an ailingsystem. First we look at the surprisingly highand under-reportedstudent attrition, and thenwe look at the achievement of those who remain.

Over 40% of Colorados high school studentsnever make it to graduation. About 15% of thisattrition can be accounted for by publisheddropout statistics. But actual attrition rates aremuch higher than reported because many studentswho have dropped out are counted as transferstudents . Transfer students are considered to havemoved into other educational settings, but are stillconsidered to be on track to earn a high schooldiploma or GED. However, as we show in thispaper, the purported attrition as a result of thetransfer of tens of thousands of students fromColorado high schools between 9th and 12thgrades is statistically implausible.

Among those who remain in school, achievementon CSAPs declines as students progress fromelementary through high school. The poorperformance of high schools overalldisproportionately affects minority students,

especially in urban centers. African-American andHispanic 10th graders are twice as likely to scorebelow Proficient than are Anglo students inreading, and 25%-50% more likely than Anglostudents to score below Proficient in math.Minority students are more likely than Anglostudents to attend high schools rated below

Average on 2002 School Accountability Reports.

Although high schools lose massive amounts of students from the system and the achievementgap threatens to grow into a chasm, little is beingdone to reverse current realities. Colorado schooldistricts operate in relative isolation from oneanother, so that promising programs, were theyto emerge, are unlikely to be made widelyavailable. The energetic rhetoric of the 2001Closing the Gap resolution has not been matched

by energetic funding. Closing the Gap initiativesremain unfunded; furthermore, no constellationof state policies exists that directly targets highschool students.

Coloradoans have the collective capacity toaddress these issues effectively. We therefore callfor the creation of a Commission dedicated toexamining and re-thinking high school educationand promoting reforms tailored to the needs of individual districts, particularly those in urbansettings. Such a Commission would be comprisedof policy makers, business leaders, professors,community leaders, and state and districteducators. The Commission would be chargedwith developing action-oriented, fundable, andimmediate strategies to address high schoolengagement, retention and achievement.

A concerted effort, such as the proposedCommission, is necessary if we hope to

address the systemic issues that underlie poorhigh school performance and the wideninglearning gap between Anglo students andminorities. Our collective commitment to suchan effort would constitute our greatest hope.

executive summary


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In Colorado, 2001 Closing the Gap resolutionstates that:

Closing the learning gap is an important goalof Colorados education reform program.Closing the Gap, Colorado Joint HouseResolution 01-1014, 2001.

The resolution sounds promising, but what does itmean? In this paper, we illustrate what the

learning gap looks like nationally and inColorado. Our data point to some disturbingconclusions. First, achievement declines asstudents move from elementary school to middle

school to highschool. Evidencesuggests that highschools not only failto close theachievement gap but

that they are actuallycontributing to it.The gap inachievement andeducational

attainment (that is, completion of high school andcollege) between minorities and Anglo students iswide and widening, disproportionately affectingurban, low-income, minority students.

This paper uses a range of existing data to takethe temperature of high schools. As well see, thesystem is ailing. We find, unfortunately, that thenobly stated aims of the Closing the Gapresolution stand in stark contrast to realitiesreflected throughout Colorado high schools.Perhaps the most distressing finding is that littleis being done to address the inequities emergingin our high schools. Discrepancies between

minorities and Anglo students in attrition andachievement rates are well documented. Althoughthe dimensions of the achievement gap arecommon knowledge among educators andlegislators, Colorado lacks effective strategiesfor addressing the problems.

The problems that create and exacerbate theachievement gap are systemic and complex.They are bigger than any single school districtor state agency can, in and of itself, overcome.However, if we combine the efforts of educators,policy makers, business leaders, foundationrepresentatives, and parents, we can transformthe culture of poor achievement and lowexpectations that characterize current highschooling in Colorado.

In Colorado, 2001 Closing the Gap

resolution states that:

closing the learning gap is an

impor tant goa l o f Co lo rados

education reform program.

A CALL FOR H IGH SCHOOL REFORM

COLORADO SMALL SCHOOLS INITIATIVEAT THE COLORADO CHILDRENS CAMPAIGN

March 2003



the need for a high school education

To fully understand the seriousness of theproblem, we need to understand the importanceof a high school education. Data on the value ofa high school education are unequivocal. In thissection, we look at some of those data, whichindicate that the need for completing high schoolhas never been greater.

Research from several sources confirms whatmost of us already know: the demand and thepervasiveness of information technology in nearlyevery element of the economy require higherlevels of reading and math literacy than everbefore in our nations history. In the past, therewere always decent jobs for those without strongliteracy skills. But those jobs have virtuallydisappeared. In 1973, for example, 36% of

workers in skilled, blue-collar jobs had no highschool diploma, and 14% of clerical workers hadno high school diploma. By 1998, only 11% of blue-collar workers and 4% of clerical workerslacked a high school diploma. 1 To be clear, thesestatistics do not reflect an increase in the numberof those completing high school (the numbers aredropping), but a decrease in the number of jobsavailable to those without a high school diploma.

Using U.S. Department of Education statistics, theAlliance for Excellent Education reports strikingdifferences in employment rates based on level of education. They report that 8 in 10 adults withbachelors degrees are employed, compared to 6 in10 among those who only completed high school.Of those who dropped out of high school, only 4in 10 are employed. 2

1 Anthony Carnevale, Help WantedCollege Required, Educational Testing Service (ETS), 2001.2 Alliance for Excellent Education,Every Child A Graduate:A Framework for Excellent Education For All Middle and High School Students,September 2002.

3 U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics 2001, NCES 2000-130. Table 381.Available at: http://www.nces.ed.gov/pubs2002/digest2001/.

* Ages 25 and older

U N E M P L O Y M E N T R AT E S B Y E T H N I C I T Y A N D E D U C AT I O N L E V E L

UNEMPLOYMENT RATES*

Ethnicity: High School High School AA Degree BA/BS DegreeDropout Graduate Or Higher

All 6.4% 3.5% 2.3% 1.7%

Anglo 5.6% 3.0% 2.1% 1.6%

African-Am. 10.7% 6.5% 3.5% 2.5%

Hispanic 6.3% 3.9% 2.9% 2.2%


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4 Data for Colorado were not available for this report, but there is no reason to believe that the scenario within the state would be verydifferent from what we find nationally.

5 Education Week , Getting Serious About School, April 11, 2001.6 Anthony Carnevale, Help WantedCollege Required, Educational Testing Service (ETS), 2001, as cited in Michael Cohen,Aspen Institute,

Transforming the American High School: New Directions for State & Local Policy , 2001.7 Alliance for Excellent Education,Every Child A Graduate:A Framework for Excellent Education For All Middle and High School Students,September 2002.

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As the table on page 3shows, unemploymentrates are nearly doubleamong those in eachethnic group whohave graduated high

school compared to those who havent. 4 Althoughgaps persist between Anglos compared to African-Americans and Hispanics based on level of

education, these gaps become less pronounced aseducational attainment rises. Not surprisingly, aseducation attainment increases, so does income,as illustrated in the chart below.

Not only do those with less education earn lessthan those with more education, their wages areslipping compared to those with more education.Education Week reports that wages of 30-year oldmales with a high school diploma declined from$27,700 in 1983 to $23,000 in 1993 (all in 1993dollars), and continues to drop. Wages of college-educated workers have either remained the sameor risen. 5 The Educational Testing Service (ETS)

reports that success in todays knowledge-basedeconomy requires virtually all workers to gainsome post secondary education. 6

The bottom line is this: education still remainsthe primary means of attaining equal economicopportunity in this country. Furthermore,economic demands are such that the levels of education required to be competitive in todaysworkforce are greater than they were 50 and even

20 years ago. Practically speaking, success

depends not only on earning a high schooldiploma, but on at least two years of a collegeeducation as well. A high school diploma is acritical stepping-stone towards economic success,but as the next section reveals, large numbers of students arent provided equal opportunities to

make that step.

n ot s u rp ri s in gl y, a s e du c at i on

a tt ai nme nt i nc re as es, s o d oe s

income

A N N UA L E A R N I N G S B A S E D O N L E V E L O F E D U C AT I O N 7

LEVEL OF EDUCATION AVERAGE EARNINGS AVERAGE EARNINGSMEN WOMEN

High School Dropout $25,035 $17,015

High School Graduate $33,184 $23,061AA Degree $48,638 $27,757

BA Degree $52,985 $37,993



Research and policy documents in recent yearsconfirm a disturbing and undeniable reality:high schools are failing to fulfill their promiseof effectively providing equal educationalopportunities to its citizens. Statistics reveal thatthe level and quality of secondary education arenot meeting the demand for increased math andreading literacy. As discouraging as nationalstatistics are, the numbers within Colorado are

even worse, particularly for low-income, minoritystudents. While Colorados reported graduationrate hovers around 80%, graduation rates of African Americans and Hispanics average 65%.In predominately urban districts, the reportedgraduation rates drop as low as 53%. 8 Thisrepresents a dropout rate of between 35%-50%among low-income, minority, and predominately

urban students. As well show in the next section,the actual rates are even lower. Equally disturbing,many of those who do complete high school arenevertheless unprepared to achieve success in theeconomy of the 21st century.

The most reliable statistics that estimate U.S.achievement compared to other countries areprovided by The Third International Mathematics& Science Study (TIMSS), the most recent of which was administered in 1995. Those datashow some discouraging trends. Although U.S.fourth graders scored better than fourth gradersfrom 46% other countries, twelfth graders scoredbetter than students from only 10% of othercountries, suggesting that as students progresstowards secondary education, the achievementgap widens. 9

high schools are ailing: in colorado & across the u.s.

8 Colorado Department of Education (CDE), Colorado Graduation & Completer Rates for the Class of 2001 by Racial/Ethnic Group & Gender .9 Education Trust, Thinking K-16: Add It Up, v6, Issue #1,Summer 2002.


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10Richard Murname & Frank Levy,Teaching the New Basic Skills: Principles for Educating Children to Thrive in a Changing Economy , 1997.11See Education Week , Getting Serious About School, April 11, 2001.12Education Trust, Thinking K-16: Youth At the Crossroads: Facing High School & Beyond, v5, Issue #1,Winter 2001.13Education Trust, Thinking K-16: New Frontiers for a New Century , v5, Issue #2, Spring 2001.

*Adapted from Education Trust,Thinking K-16: Add It Up,v6, n1, Summer 2002

6 a c a l l f o r h i g h s c h o o l r e f o r m

Comparisons of students within the United Statesare often based on statistics from the NationalAssessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).Most recent (2000) NAEP statistics show trendssimilar to TIMSS. Not only do students scoresdrop as they get older, but performance worsensonly slightly in middle school while droppingsignificantly in high school. One researcherconcludes that close to half of all 17-year olds

cannot read or do math at the level needed toget a job in a modern automobile plant. 10

Some lament that there is nothing to be donethat the achievement gap between Anglos andminority students is the inevitable result of societal inequities that schools cannot overcome. 11

But after a focused effort in the 1980s theachievement gap between Anglos and African-Americans and Hispanics did, in fact, narrow.But by 1999, due, we believe, to a languishingpolicy agenda, the gap had again widened. 12

Now, as a group, 17-year old African-Americansand Hispanics have reading skills similar to thoseof 13-year old Anglo students. 13

D E C L I N I N G M AT H A C H I E V E M E N T A M O N G U . S . S T U D E N TSE L E M E N TA RY T H R O U G H H I G H S C H O O L *



Our concentrated efforts can make a difference,but we will need more than words to address theissues. Sadly, national trends have not been evadedin Colorado, and, in fact, our own report cardranks low compared to that of most states. Thefollowing facts speak for themselves:

CSAP Math scores of Colorado children steadily

decline from 55% Proficient or Above in 5thGrade to 27% Proficient or Above in 10thGrade. CSAP Reading overall remains relativelystable, with 65% of 10th Graders scoringProficient or Above . However, while scores of Anglo students improve, those of African-Americans and Hispanics remain the same. 15

Colorado ranks last among all states in terms of the participation of low-income 18-24 year oldsattending college. In 1999, 13.7% of low-income

students attended college, compared to a nationalaverage during the same period of 24.5%. 16

Colorado is one of only two states with nograduation requirements or guidelines.(Standards dont substitute for graduationguidelines: all but one state has standards.) 17

Local control laws limit our ability to set clear

and high graduation expectations for all students.In 2001, Colorado legislators passed the Closing

the Gap resolution that resolves to close theachievement gap in Colorado. To date, thatinitiative has received no legislative fundingbeyond that which already exists for CSAPs andthe collection of District Accreditation Reports.Colorado has no state-level programs in placetargeted at improving achievement among highschool students. 18

14Education Trust, Thinking K-16: Add It Up, v6, Issue #1, Summer 2002.15CDE 2002 CSAP State Summary (Math & Reading)16Presentation from Colorado Governors Blue Ribbon Panel on Higher Education. Bruce Benson, Chair; Rep. Gayle Berry, Vice Chair. JamesJacobs,Tom Mortenson, John Bliss, Robert Moore, and Rich Allen. November 6, 2001.

17National Center on Educational Outcomes, 2003. Available at: http://www.education.umn.edu/nceo/.18Colorado Department of Education.See http://www.cde.state.co.us.

U . S. S TU D E NT S D E C LI N I N G N A E P M AT H P E R F O RM A N C E ( 2 0 00 ) 14

All 75% 74% 84%

Anglo 67% 66% 79%

African-Am. 95% 95% 97%

Hispanic 90% 91% 96%

% Students Scoring BELOW Proficient

ETHNICITY GRADE 4 GRADE 8 GRADE 12



Our inattention to high school achievement acrossthe state has disproportionately impacted

Colorados African-American andHispanic populations.This is most clearlyseen in our urbancenters. In thissection, we illustrate

how our inattention tohigh school attrition

and achievement threatens to turn an alreadypronounced gap into a chasm. First, we look atthe effects of the achievement gap in terms of those who dont complete high school. What wewill find is that all the data converge: rather thanbeing places where educational opportunity isequalized, students are losing ground. Theachievement gap is widening rather than

narrowing, and its wider at the top of theeducational system than it is at the bottom.

attrition as a symptom:looking past misleadinggraduation & dropout statistics

On first blush, dropout statistics dont look toobad: only 2.9% dropout rate throughout Coloradooverall in 2000-01. District-reported dropoutstatistics range from 0%-6%. These are the

numbers you read in the newspaper. Yet suchstatistics are not credible given other statisticssurrounding known rates of those with no highschool diploma. In the 2000-01 year (when theColorado Department of Education reported anoverall dropout rate of 2.9%), census data reported

that 12.1% of 16-19 year olds in Colorado werenot in school and had not earned a diploma. Inurban centers, the discrepancies are even greater.For example, in 2000-01, Adams County SchoolDistrict reported an average high school dropoutrate of 2.4%. 19 Yet 2000 Census data revealedthat 19.9% of all 16-19 year olds in the countywere not enrolled in school and were not a highschool graduate. 20

There are two reasons why these numbers do notalign. The single digit figures reported by schools,districts, and the state count the number of students in any given year who are known to havedropped out. But these numbers are a relativelysmall proportion of the cumulative total of thosewho fail to continue their education across severalyears. The following table shows the annual andcumulative dropout rates for the Colorado-wideClass of 2001. As the table shows, the annualdropout rate is low: never over 5%. Nevertheless,the cumulative total of reported dropouts of theClass of 2001 is nearly 15%, or approximately10,000 students from the Class of 2001.

But the story doesnt end there. Notice theenrollment each year as students progressfrom the freshman, sophomore, junior andsenior classes. Each year, the class loses between4,500 and 9,000 students, for a total attrition

count of 27,570 students across the four years41% of the original 9th grade Class of 2001.And yet, only 9,779 (less than 15%) of the classis accounted for through dropout figures. Wheredid the other 17,791or 26% of the originalClass of 2001go?

the achievement gap i s

widening rather than narrowing,

and it s wider at the top of the

e d uc a ti o na l sy s te m th a n i t i s

a t t h e b o t t o m

a closer look at colorados learning achievement gap

19CDE: 5-Year Trend Dropout Rates Including Alternative Schools: 1996-97 to 2000-01.20Census 2000 Summary File (SF3); GCT-P11: Language, School Enrollment and Educational Attainment



The Colorado Department of Education (CDE)accounts for the gap between the reported numberof students in a class and the number of dropoutsprimarily through transfers. Transfers are studentswho move into and out of school districts or thestate school system overall each year, excludingdropouts. We might infer, then, that most of the17,791 students who didnt make it to thegraduation stage and who didnt drop outtransferred out-of-state. There are two facts that

make this seemingly obvious explanation unlikely.First, the enrollment in Colorado schools from1997 through 2001 actually grew by 5%. That itwould grow by 5% overall and yet we would lose26% of the Class of 2001 through out-of-state

transfers is statistically implausible. Second, thispattern of attrition from the freshman throughsenior year is repeated year after year, class afterclass, in district after district. That is, throughoutthe state the size of the freshman class in districtafter district diminishes significantly by the senioryeareven when overall district enrollmentincreases. Statistically speaking, you would expectthat if a school district increases or decreasesmembership overall that the growth or decline

would be seen relatively consistently across allgrade levels. The fact that high school enrollmentsteadily declines in the face of district or stategrowth strongly suggests that there is a systematic,unaccounted for leak of students from the system. 21

21In fact,evidence of this pattern, and this leak, is seen to varying degrees nationally. See, for example, Robert Belfanz & Nettie Legters,How Many Central City Schools Have a Severe Dropout Problem,Where Are They Located,and Who Attends Them?, Center for SocialOrganization of Schools, Johns Hopkins University, January 2001.

*Data collected from Colorado Department of Education, Report of Dropout Counts , 1997-2001.

**Total does not equal the sum of freshmen-senior percentages, since reported annual figures are adjusted based on transfers. This figure isthe actual proportion of attrition found when dividing the cumulative number of reported dropouts each year by the total number of students in the original freshman class.

AN NUA L & CU MU LATI VE DRO POU T STATI ST ICS FO R CO LO RAD O S CLAS S OF 20 01 *

FRESHMEN SOPHOMORES JUNIORS SENIORS CUMULATIVE TOTA1997-98 1998-99 1999-2000 2000-01

# Students 66,811 59,799 55,206 48,575 39,241Enrolled in GraduatesClass of 2001

# Dropouts 2,446 2,902 2,602 1,829 9,779Dropouts

% Dropouts 3.7% 4.9% 4.7% 3.8% 14.6%**Dropped out

9th-12th grade



The crux of the issue is that the transfer data areunreliable. Why? When a student withdraws froma school, he or she is asked to complete a formexplaining where he or she is going and what heor she is going to be doing. For those youngerthan 16 years old, it is illegal to not be in school.Such students are unlikely to report that they aredropping out. They report on the form that theyare transferring districts or enrolling in home

schooling. Those older than 16 probably believeit is illegal not to be in school, and in any casehave no incentive to report that they are dropping

out. School anddistrict administratorshave no means bywhich to follow up onwhat is reported onthe forms. If studentsdont complete the

form, districts areobligated to accountfor the student

somehow. This can be accomplished by actualevidence of a transfer, such as the request of a fileby another district or education facility, but alsoit can be done through a phone call, or a chancemeeting. Parents are supposed to sign the form,but this doesnt always happen.

We believe that many, if not most, of studentswho drop out report that they are transferringor participating in home schooling and districtssimply dont have the time, resources, or incentiveto follow-up thoroughly. The important point here

is that once a student is designated as a transfer,he or she is edited from the original membershipbase, as if the student had never been there.Transfer students are subtracted from thestudent count, and therefore are excluded fromgraduation or dropout calculations.

Transfer data influence graduation statistics aswell as dropout statistics. Unlike dropout rates,graduation rates are cumulative, with adjustmentsto class size being made from 9th through 12thgrades. For example, the reported 9th-12th gradegraduation rate for the Class of 2001 is 80.5%.This figure is obtained by dividing the number of graduates (39,241 students) by the total numberof students the original freshman class, adjustedfor transfer students . Yet 39,241 studentsrepresents only 59% of the original number of students in the 9th grade Class of 2001, leavingapproximately 17,791 or 26% of the classunaccounted for. The difference, presumably,would largely be explained as out-of-statetransfers, and heres where the slip comes intoplaysince transfer students are subtractedfrom the count, the initial class size of 66,811 isadjusted down to approximately 48,575 students.This adjustment increases the graduation ratefrom 59% up to 80.5%. But is this plausible?Transfer data would suggest that the 17,791

students who didnt graduate and who didntdrop out moved out of Colorado between fall1997 and spring 2001in spite of the fact thatstudent enrollment in the State grew by 5% overthat period! 22

w e b e l i e ve t h a t m a n y, i f

n o t m os t , o f s tu de nt s w ho d r op

o u t re p o r t t h a t t h e y a re

t ra n s fe r r in g o r pa r t i ci p at i n g

in home school ing

22Some will argue that the apparently high attrition figure is due to the fact that many students in the Class of 2001 will graduate late, andtherefore wont be counted as graduates, even though they remain in the system. However, if this is the case, it is reasonable to expect thatthere would be a similar number of students from previous classes who would have graduated in 2001, one or more years after theirclassmates.These late graduators are counted as 2001 grads,and therefore compensate numerically for Class of 2001 students who dontgraduate with the rest of their class.



The unreliability of the transfer data creates asystematic under reporting of dropout rates andover reporting of graduation rates. The differencebetween reported and actual dropout andgraduation statistics cannot be known for sure.

What we do know is that through the gap createdby reported versus actual statistics, a largeproportion of students leak out, unreported,from our high schools.

How many students might we be talking aboutand who are they?

Predominately, they are low-income, minority, andurban students, whose attrition rates far exceedoverall state attrition rates. To illustrate, we lookedat attrition rates in seven urban school districts.

We identified these districts because each one hada disproportionate number of African-American orHispanic students enrolled compared to these

groups representation in the state overall. Thetotal number of students within these seven focaldistricts comprised 23% of all Colorado studentsin 2000-01. However, students in these districtscomprised 62.5% of all African-Americans and37.5% of all Hispanic students in Colorado.

Within these seven districts were represented88% of all African-Americans and 67.8% ofall Hispanics enrolled in the 14 Denver Metroschool districts.

We explored attrition in these districts byethnicity, using statistics provided by CDE.

The following table shows the total size of thefreshman class and its breakdown by ethnicity.

We also show the number of students whograduated as well as the percentage of studentswho didnt graduate with their class. In addition,we show the cumulative dropout rate in eachdistrict as well as the percentage of studentswhose attrition cannot be explained bydropout statistics.

Looking at the dropout rates, the reflection onhigh schools would be bad enough if the numberswere accurate. Cumulative (reported) dropoutrates average 15% overall, and tend to be muchhigher in urban districts, particularly amongAfrican-Americans and Hispanics.

But even though reported dropout rates reach ashigh as 30%, the actual figure is undoubtedlymuch higher. As the table shows, reported

dropouts account for only a fraction of totalclass attrition. Between the 9th and 12th grades,the overall population of the Class of 2001 inColorado declined across these urban districtsby 52.3%. Within sub-populations, attritionwas as high as 75%! And yet, overall enrollment(kindergarten through 12th grade) in each districtcited in the table increased between 1997 and2001 at an overall average rate of 7%. African-American and Hispanic growth averaged 32.5%

across all 7 districts.



Subtracting dropouts, 13%-63% of Class of 2001students didnt graduate with their classmates.Are we saying that all of the students withunexplained attrition are actually dropouts?No, not at all. Some are not counted as graduatesbecause theyve earned their GED, but that onlyrepresents 2% of all students in Colorado.Certainly, some students do legitimately transferinto and out of school districts. But given the fact

that overall enrollment in these districts grew, theextreme decline of students between 9th and 12thgrades simply cannot be attributed to transfers.

We believe that a largeproportion of classattrition is the resultof students who aredesignated astransfers who haveactually dropped out.

The massive attrition were seeing from highschools, especially among African-American andHispanic students, is indicative of a system thatis seriously wounded. One official said,

Its appalling. Were losing half ofour kids and we dont know wheretheyre going. A lot of them arentgetting counted as dropouts. Im highlyconcerned and Im angered about howunconcerned others seem to be aboutthis. Assistant Superintendent of anUrban School District

We urge educators and policy makers to studythe vast and sometimes shocking differencesbetween 9th grade enrollment in a given classand the number of graduates from that classfour years later. Annual dropout figures cannotaccount for the hundreds and sometimes

thousands of students who disappear fromschool districts between 9th and 12th grades.

Where are these students? More important,what future do they have, and what are theimplications of this for our state?

i t s a p pa l li n g. w er e lo s in g

hal f of our k ids and we dont

know where theyre going



continued on page 14

AT T R I TI O N F RO M TH E C L A S S O F 2 0 0 1 AC RO S S 7 F O C A L D I ST R I C T S & CO L O R A D O * *

DISTRICT NUMBER OF NUMBER OF TOTAL % % ATTRSTUDENTS IN GRADUATES ATTRITION CLASS OF 2001 FROM9TH GRADE FROM THE FROM THE WHO DROPPED CLASS O

CLASS OF 2001 CLASS OF 2001 CLASS OF 2001 OUT BETWEENNOT EXPLAINED(1997-98) (1997-2001) 9TH & 12 GRADES BY DROPOUTS

all colorado

All Students* 66,811 39,241 41.2% 14.6% 26.6%

Anglo 46,319 30,684 33.8% 12.1% 21.7%African-Am. 4,111 1,681 59.1% 17.7% 41.4%Hispanic 13,775 5,321 61.4% 23.8% 37.6%

adams 14

All Students 669 221 67.0% 13.5% 53.5%Anglo 260 100 61.6% 21.2% 40.4%African-Am. 24 6 75.0% 12.5% 62.5%Hispanic 263 110 58.1% 22.4% 35.7%

adams/

arapahoeAll Students 2,479 1,032 58.3% 15.7% 42.6%Anglo 1,256 594 52.7% 14.8% 37.9%African-Am. 650 204 68.6% 14.8% 53.8%Hispanic 411 157 61.8% 21.9% 39.9%

brighton 27


cherry creek

All Students 3,269 2,644 19.1% 5.1% 14.0%Anglo 2,594 2,134 17.7% 4.2% 13.5%African-Am. 269 208 22.7% 6.7% 16.0%Hispanic 200 134 33.0% 10.5% 22.5%



AT T R I TI O N F R OM TH E C L A S S O F 2 0 0 1 AC RO S S 7 F O C A L D I STR I C T S & CO L O R A D O * *

DISTRICT NUMBER OF NUMBER OF TOTAL % % ATTRSTUDENTS IN GRADUATES ATTRITION CLASS OF 2001 FROM9TH GRADE FROM THE FROM THE WHO DROPPED CLASS O

CLASS OF 2001 CLASS OF 2001 CLASS OF 2001 OUT BETWEENNOT EXPLAINED(1997-98) (1997-2001) 9TH & 12 GRADES BY DROPOUTS

denver

All Students 7,152 2,585 63.9% 18.2% 45.7%

Anglo 1,793 916 49.0% 10.2% 38.8%African-Am. 1,590 555 65.1% 16.7% 48.4%Hispanic 3,405 944 72.3% 23.1% 49.2%

mapleton 1


sheridan 2


* All Student totals will be higher than combined totals of Anglo, Hispanic, and African-American students, because students of otherethnicities are included in "All Student" totals;however, Anglo, Hispanic, and African American students comprise over 95% of all students inthe state.

**Data collected from CDEReport of Student Dropout Counts (x District, Ethnicity, & Grade), 1997-2001; also from CDEClass of 2001 Graduation& Completion Rates x District and Ethnicity.

continued from page 13



performance declines amongthose who remain

The ability of high schools to retain studentsis one indicator of high school health. Anotherway to understand the health of high schools isto look at the performance of those who remain.A brief look at 2002 CSAP results confirms whatother data suggest. As students move from middleschool to high school, increasing numbers of students slip below Proficient on CSAP mathscores, with 57% scoring less than proficient in8th grade and 68% scoring less than proficientin 10th grade. While reading achievement overthe past two years has improved slightly amongAnglo students, it has remained the same forAfrican-Americans and Hispanic students. 23

This trend threatens to widen a gap of alreadydistressing proportions:

African-Americans 10th graders are nearly 2times more likely than Anglos to score belowProficient in reading, and nearly 1.5 timesmore likely to score below Proficient in math.

Hispanic 10th graders are over 2 times morelikely than Anglo students to score belowproficient in reading, and 1.25 times morelikely to score below Proficient in math.

Conversely, 10th grade Anglo students areover 1.5 times more likely to score Proficientor Advanced on CSAP reading and nearly5 times more likely to score Proficient orAdvanced on math than African-Americans.

Anglos in 10th grade are nearly 2 times morelikely to score Advanced or Proficient on readingand 4 times more likely to score Advanced orProficient in math than are 10th grade Hispanics.

23CDE CSAP 2000 State Summary (Math & Reading).



School Accountability Reports (SARs) summarizeCSAP performance. In 2002, 40% of all of Colorado high schools were rated below

Average . Among the seven focal districtsidentified in the previous section, 63% of

those districts high schools fall below Average .African-American and Hispanic students aretherefore disproportionately represented in highschools performing below average.

* Totals may not equal 100% due to rounding.

CSAP PROFICIENCY LEVELS BY ETHNICITY: 2002 10 TH GRADE READING

ETHNICITY UNSATISFACTORY PARTIALLY PROFICIENT NOT SCORED TOPROFICIENT OR ADVANCED

Anglo 6% 17% 73% 3% 101%

African- 16% 32% 46% 6% 100%American

Hispanic 21% 31% 37% 12% 101%

* Totals may not equal 100% due to rounding.

CSAP PROFICIENCY LEVELS BY ETHNICITY: 2002 10 TH GRADE M ATH

ETHNICITY UNSATISFACTORY PARTIALLY PROFICIENT NOT SCORED TOPROFICIENT OR ADVANCED

Anglo 24% 40% 33% 3% 100%

African- 59% 28% 7% 6% 100%

American

Hispanic 53% 27% 8% 11% 99%



Sadly, little is currently being done to addressthe realities pertaining to high attrition and lowachievement outlined in this paper. School districtofficials have implemented various programstargeted at specific issues or populations fromdropout prevention to reading instruction, butdata are spare regarding their effectiveness.Such programs, on their own, even if effective,are unlikely to address the systemic inadequacies

that manifest in disengagement, poor literacy,poor performance, and low graduation rates,particularly among urban, minority, and low-income students. Some individual programsand isolated reform efforts in some districtshold promise. But such activities take placewithin a balkanized bureaucracy. Successfulefforts at local levels are not likely to be learnedof or replicated across districts, and, in somecases, even within a district.

At the state level, the Accreditation Programlooks ambitious, but it is primarily an exercisein data collection. The Accreditation Programrequires districts to compile annual statisticspertaining to student achievement, school climate,and client satisfaction. These reports disaggregateperformance by race and other demographicfactors. Much of the data we report in this paperregarding dropouts and low achievement are

documented in District Accreditation Reports

across the state. Nevertheless, the accumulationof evidence has not prompted state officials toidentify or address the systemic issues these poorstatistics reflect.

In fact, there is not much beyond identifying theissues that they would have the power to do. Theenergetic language of the 2001 Closing the Gap

resolution has not been matched with similarlyenergetic funding. Over the past two years the taskforce charged with implementing Closing the Gaphas approached legislators for funding, and bothtimes funding for the resolution has been denied.In any case, none of the currently proposedprograms specifically address high schoolstudents. Closing the Gap resolution, whichpurports to bite into education inequities inColorado, is toothless.

We fear that educators and legislators have

accepted low performance as inevitable and haveadopted an attitude of complacency and lowexpectations for high school youth, especiallythose in urban settings. An example of this can befound by analyzing state expectations pertainingto CSAP performance. Headlines were made whenUnsatisfactory high schools moved up to Lowperforming. Yet, few of the gains that putUnsatisfactory high schools in the Lowcategory accrued from instruction. Most gains

were made simply by reducing the number of No

a languishing policy agenda



Scores at each school (No Scores are weightedthe same as Unsatisfactory). No Scores werereduced by cleaning up the rolls so that studentsno longer enrolled were not counted as beingenrolled, and by providing incentives for studentswho were enrolled to show up for the tests. Whileschools were being rewarded for performingbelow Average, the percentage of total highschools rated below Average grew from 27%

in 2001 to 40% in 2002.

As with any complex issue, there are plenty of reasons and excuses that can be raised regardingwhy things are as they are. Yet the fact remains: noconstellation of policies or strategies exist withinColorado school districts or at the state leveltargeted at closing an achievement gap that widens

as students progress through secondary education. We present these data not to cast blame and not tochastise teachers, administrators, or state officials.Rather, we hope to focus serious attention on aserious problem in order to bring together thosewho care about our childrens education andfuture, and who are willing to admit that whatwere doing the way were doing it isnt workingfor large numbers of students who fall out of the

system, nor for many who remain in high schoolthrough graduation.

w e f ea r th at e d uc a to r s a n d

legis la tors have accepted low

performance as inevi tab le



This report summarizes data relating to highattrition and low performance among high schoolstudents that is leading to a widening learning gapbetween Anglo students and minorities. Wecannot attribute such massive losses from highschools, or the declining performance amongthose who stay, to lack of ability or initiative. Onlysystemic inequities could produce such consistentand dramatic results. The bottom line is this: how

we think about and operate high schools inColorado isnt meeting the needs of large numbersof students. Furthermore, all evidence suggeststhat if we keep doing what were doing the waywere doing it, we will exacerbate a decline thatthreatens to widen a gap into a chasm.

We believe that a preponderance of evidencesurrounding high school attrition andachievement has serious implications for thehealth of our schools, our children, and thequality of life in Colorado. We have illustratedColorados achievement gap by focusing on urbandistricts with concentrations of students of color.

While we have tried to use compellingquantitative indicators to suggest the extent ofthe problem, at heart we are most concernedabout what these numbers suggest in terms of thequality of experience among all Colorado highschool students. One national study, for example,

found that 40% of high school youth aredisengaged, suggesting that for many students,

high school is boring and irrelevant. 24 Is that thekind of experience we want for Colorados youth?Are these the kinds of outcomes we would expectfrom a state that advocates that:

Closing the learning gap is animportant goal of Colorados educationreform program. Closing the Gap ,Colorado House Joint Resolution 01-1014.

While we are sobered by the current realities, wefirmly believe that they can and must be reversed.

We believe this is possible and necessary, and thatthe need is immediate. We believe that successwill depend on stakeholders from several arenascoming together with a willingness to face theseissues head on. Clearly, no one person or groupeither understands all of the underlying issues norhas all of the solutions necessary for addressingthe challenges facing secondary education. But

many have thoughtful perspectives and advocatepromising approaches.

We therefore call for the creation of a Commissiondedicated to examining and re-thinking highschool education in Colorado and promotingreforms tailored to the needs of individualdistricts, particularly those in our urban centers.Such a Commission would be comprised of policymakers, business leaders, professors, communityleaders, and state and district educators. TheCommission would be charged with developing

conclusions & recommendations

24Heather Voke, Motivating Students to Learn, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), February 2002.



action-oriented, fundable, and immediatestrategies to address high school retention andachievement. Specifically, the Commission would:

Explore the causesof attrition and lowachievement amonghigh school students;particularly amongminority and/or low-income students inurban districts, and

devise creative strategies to promote studentsconnectedness to school and student retention;

Create a clearinghouse for high school educationthat can become a statewide resource foridentifying programs that have been successful inraising retention, literacy, and numeracy among9th-12th graders;

Use the clearinghouse discussed above to provideresources to enhance schools and districtscapacity to conduct meaningful research andevaluation activities related to high schoolimprovement programs;

Strengthen the linkages between high school andpost-secondary education through programs thatpromote high school student advisementthroughout 9th through 12th grades, and that

promote resources and strategies for guidingstudents towards college and other post-secondary options.

Real progress on these difficult issues will requirethe commitment at all levels of the system andfrom all corners of society. Legislators have to bewilling to back up high-flown rhetoric with actionand dollars. State-level educators have to createforums within which district leaders, businessleaders, professors, community leaders, teachers,parents and children can come together to speakfrankly about the myriad of issues underlying

ailing high schools, as well as explore strategiesto address them.

Business leaders and non-profit foundationscan play an important role in moving the policyagenda of high school reform by encouraging thebusiness community to participate in strategiesthat tighten the links between secondaryeducation and job and career opportunities.Non-profits can help promote innovation, butonly if they commit to long-term support.

District-level educators must be willing toembrace reform efforts by demonstrating awillingness to restructure curricula, scheduling,and administrative processes when necessary tomeet the needs of students and parents.Furthermore, district and state-level educatorsmust recognize that genuine reform is bothfundamental and incremental, and that the mostsuccessful approaches alter the school and

community expectations. There are no magicformulas or silver bullets: in most cases,substantial results will not be immediate.

while we are sobered by the

c u r re n t r e a l i t i e s , w e f i r m l y

b e l ie ve t h a t t h ey c a n a n d mu s t

be reversed



The issues we face in Colorado arent unique.North Carolina, Vermont, Maine and Rhode Islandare among a handful of states that have convenedblue ribbon panels or other forums to identify theneeds directly and indirectly related to high schoolretention and performance. Concentrated effortssuch as these, which transcend district-levelfunding and political constraints, are necessary if we hope to address the systemic issues that

underlie poor high school performance and thewidening learning gap between Anglo studentsand minorities. A commitment to such effortswould constitute our greatest hope.



GARY LICHTENSTEIN, ED.D., is Director of Program Development at the Colorado SmallSchools Initiative at the Colorado Children'sCampaign. He earned his doctorate at StanfordUniversity and has been active in education policyand research in Colorado and nationwide for overten years. As an adjunct professor at theUniversity of Denver, Dr. Lichtenstein teachesresearch methods and Community-Based

Research. The author would like to thank hiscolleagues as well as school, district, and CDEstaff who generously contributed their time andinsights to this paper.

gary lichtenstein, ed.d.


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colorado small schools initiative staff VAN SCHOALES Executive Director

TRISH MCNEIL Small Schools Network Director MARIAH DICKSON Professional Development Director

GARY LICHTENSTEIN Program Development Director GINA NOCERA Managing Director

JEFF PARK Denver Big Picture High School, PrincipalRONA WILENSKY Education Consultant

REX BROWN Education Consultant

colorado childrens campaign staff BARBARA OBRIEN President

BRUCE ATCHISON Vice President of Policy & ProgramsHONEY NIEHAUS Vice President of Operations

VAN SCHOALES Vice President of Education InitiativesKAYE BOEKE Director of Research

VIBEKE BRANDT Administrative Assistant KATHY FLORES Director of Development & Fund Raising

HELEN FOX Accounting

PILAR INGARGIOLA Child Health Specialist SARA RADICH Early Childhood & Communications Project Coordinator ERIN SILVER Director of Public Affairs

LISA WAGNER Administrative Assistant

board listCHRIS BINKLEY PEGGY MONTANOChair Trout Witwer & Freeman, PC Kaiser Permanente

TOM DOWNEY CHRIS ROMER Vice Chair JP MorganBallard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll

BARBARA OBRIEN HAPPY HAYNESPresident Denver City CouncilColorado Childrens Campaign

JUDI ALLEN JIM SHIRA, M.D. Allen Strategies The Childrens Hospital

ELAINE GANTZ BERMAN JANE SODERBERGBoard of Education Circle of FriendsDenver Public Schools

Colorado Small Schools Initiativeat the Colorado Childrens Campaign

1120 Lincon Street, Suite 125Denver, Colorado 80203

303-839-1580303-839 1354 (fax)

coloradosmallschools org

PATTY GAGEContinuum Partners

SHARYL J HARSTON AlphaLeader

TARA GAULKEErnst & Young

CICI PETERSONCircle of Friends

KEVIN M CLANCY Anthem Blue Cross &Blue Shield

A Call for High School Reform

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