Late graduation better than GEDs

Posted by on April 09, 2012

Better late than GED

A new brief from the Center on Education Policy examines whether late graduation is worth the extra effort for students and their schools, finding the short answer to be yes. On-time graduation is preferable, but a recent study from the CEP using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 finds that late graduation pays off in academic outcomes and every aspect of life — work, civic, and health. Late graduates do markedly better than GED recipients and dropouts, and when the data are controlled to compare students of equivalent socioeconomic status and achievement level, late graduates come close to on-time graduates in achievement. Late graduates are more likely to be minority or language minority students, live in a poorer household, and have two or more risk factors associated with dropping out. They end middle school and start high school with skills comparable to those who eventually drop out or receive a GED, and in the eighth grade are no more prepared for high school math or English. But in high school, late graduates start making better grades, though their achievement on standardized tests stays mainly the same as eventual dropouts and GED recipients, suggesting late graduates have more persistence. The brief therefore recommends that schools be encouraged through accountability systems to keep all students in school until they graduate, regardless of how long it takes. Accountability systems should also give schools credit for all students who graduate late, not just special education students and English language learners.

See the brief: http://tinyurl.com/7yt32bl