[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 46 (Tuesday, March 17, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3178-S3179]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. HARKIN:
  S. 618. A bill to improve the calculation of, the reporting of, and 
the accountability for, secondary graduation rates; to the Committee on 
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, this past fall our Nation's high school 
graduation class of 2012 took their first steps into their local high 
school as freshmen. The best research, based on data from all 50 
States, tells us that one third of that class of freshmen will not walk 
across a stage and receive their diploma with their peers in four 
years.
  The numbers are clear: we face a national high school dropout crisis. 
Every year, an estimated 1.23 million students drop out of high school. 
To put that number in perspective, it is equivalent to the entire 
population of the ninth largest city in the country, Dallas.
  The President laid out the crisis we face in his February 24 address 
to Congress:
  ``In a global economy where the most valuable skill you can sell is 
your knowledge, a good education is no longer just a pathway to 
opportunity--it is a prerequisite.''
  ``Right now, three-quarters of the fastest-growing occupations 
require more than a high school diploma. And yet, just over half of our 
citizens have that level of education. We have one of the highest high 
school dropout rates of any industrialized nation.''
  By any measure, my home state of Iowa is a national leader in terms 
of graduating students in four years. According to Education Week's 
Diplomas Count, Iowa has the second highest graduation rate in the 
country, at almost 83 percent for the class of 2005. Iowa should be 
applauded for continually graduating such a high percentage of its 
students in spite of the challenges present in many rural and low-
income school districts.
  Yet such a lofty number masks a pervasive inability to graduate 
African-American and Latino students on a level equal to their peers. 
The graduation rate for African-American children in Iowa is 25 points 
below the overall 4-year rate. The discrepancy between the rate of 
Latino children graduating in four years and their peers' rate is even 
higher at 30 percent.
  Just as the data on racial and ethnic minorities paints a grim 
picture, a look into the Nation's graduation rates for students with 
disabilities shows many students continue to be failed by the system. 
The most recent data indicates that slightly more than half of all 
students with disabilities graduated from high school with a regular 
diploma. Those rates go down when examining different categories of 
students with disabilities. For instance, only 43 percent of students 
with emotional disturbances graduate from high school with a regular 
diploma. Bear in mind that many of these students do not have a 
learning disability, and with the proper supports and interventions 
they can achieve at the same levels expected of their peers.
  To reiterate, States like Iowa should be lauded for their success in 
graduating so many of their young people from high school in four 
years, but we must also hold those states accountable for their success 
or failure with vulnerable populations, or we are doomed to pay the 
price, both morally and economically. That is why I was proud to 
introduce the Every Student Counts Act last September, and why I am 
here to reintroduce this legislation in the Senate today.
  Since I introduced the first Every Student Counts Act, the Department 
of Education has taken laudable action to implement a 4-year high 
school graduation rate through regulations issued last October.
  However, the Department's action was not enough to address this 
crisis. The regulation leaves the specifics of the graduation rate 
goals and growth targets, and how to calculate Adequate Yearly Progress 
up to the States. In doing so, the Department indicated that it was 
more appropriate for Congress to define graduation rate goals, growth 
targets, and adequate yearly progress through statute. The Every 
Student Counts Act is designed to do just that.
  Because if we do not set clear, consistent, and high graduation rate 
goals, with aggressive and attainable graduation rate growth targets, 
we risk falling into the same trap of mediocrity and flat graduation 
rates that have led us to this crisis.
  Schools, school districts and States that are not already graduating 
a high number of students must be required to make annual progress to 
high graduation rates.
  This act sets a graduation rate goal of 90 percent for all students 
and disadvantaged populations. Schools, districts and States with 
graduation rates below 90 percent, in the aggregate or for any 
subgroup, will be required to increase their graduation rates an 
average of 3 percentage points per year in order to make adequate 
yearly progress required under the No Child Left Behind Law.
  In addition to setting high standards for graduation rates, the Every 
Student Counts Act will also make graduation rate calculations uniform 
and accurate. The bill requires that all states calculate their 
graduation rates in the same manner, allowing for more consistency and 
transparency. This bill will bring all 50 States together by requiring 
each State to report both a 4-year graduation rate and a cumulative 
graduation rate. A cumulative graduation rate will give parents a clear 
picture of how many students are graduating, while acknowledging that 
not all children will graduate in four years.
  Before I conclude my remarks, I would like to recognize the work of 
my colleague in the House, Representative Bobby Scott of Virginia, who 
first sought to address this issue last year and today joins with me in 
reintroducing the Every Student Counts Act.
  I would also like to thank the growing list of organizations 
representing the interests of children across the country who have 
signed on to support the Every Student Counts Act. Specifically, I 
recognize the Alliance for Excellent Education and their President, 
former Governor of West Virginia Bob Wise, who have been champions in 
the movement to improve our high schools and turn back the dropout 
crisis.
  We have no more urgent educational challenge than bringing down the 
dropout rate, especially for minorities and children with disabilities. 
For reasons we all understand--poverty, poor nutrition, broken homes, 
disadvantage

[[Page S3179]]

childhoods--not all of our students come to school everyday ready to 
learn. In some cases, it is as though they have been set up to fail. 
They grow frustrated. They drop out. And, as a result, they face a 
lifetime of fewer opportunities and lower earnings. Economically, our 
nation cannot afford to lose one million students each year. Morally, 
we cannot allow children to continue to fall through the cracks. I 
believe the Every Student Counts Act puts us on the right track towards 
turning back the tide of high school dropouts and I ask my colleagues 
to support this legislation.
   Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a letter of support be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be placed in 
the Record, as follows:

                                                   March 11, 2009.
       Dear Senator Harkin and Representative Scott: We, the 
     undersigned education, civil rights, and advocacy 
     organizations thank you for introducing the Every Student 
     Counts Act to ensure meaningful accountability for the 
     graduation rates of our nation's students. As you know, 
     educators and policymakers at all levels of government agree 
     that change is necessary on this issue.
       Only 70 percent of our nation's students graduate with a 
     regular diploma. Worse, just over half of African American 
     and Hispanic students graduate on time. Special education 
     students also have graduation rates of just over 50 percent. 
     Such poor graduation rates are untenable in a global economy 
     that demands an educated workforce. According to the 
     Department of Labor, 90 percent of the fastest-growing and 
     best-paying jobs in the United States require at least some 
     postsecondary education. It is imperative that the nation's 
     schools prepare their students to succeed in the twenty-
     first-century workforce.
       The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) has focused the 
     nation's attention on the unacceptable achievement gap and 
     the need to improve outcomes for all students, particularly 
     minority students, English language learners, and students 
     with disabilities. However, NCLB does not place enough 
     importance on graduating the nation's high school students; 
     this fact--combined with weak state action in this area--has 
     given states, districts, and schools little incentive to 
     improve their graduation rates. As a response, the Secretary 
     of Education released regulations that created a uniform high 
     school graduation rate calculation and ensured that improving 
     high school graduation rates for all schools is part of the 
     federal accountability system. Although the regulations are a 
     laudable step in the right direction, we believe that the 
     Every Student Counts Act is a better approach to graduation 
     rate accountability because it provides clear and high 
     expectations for graduation rate goals and growth.
       The Every Student Counts Act would:
       Require a consistent and accurate calculation of graduation 
     rates across all fifty states and the District of Columbia to 
     ensure comparability and transparency;
       Require that graduation rate calculations be disaggregated 
     for both accountability and reporting purposes to ensure that 
     school improvement activities focus on all students and close 
     achievement gaps;
       Ensure that graduation rates and test scores are treated 
     equally in Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) determinations;
       Require aggressive, attainable, and uniform annual growth 
     targets as part of AYP to ensure consistent increases in 
     graduation rates for all schools;
       While maintaining the expectation that most students will 
     graduate in four years, recognize that a small number of 
     students take longer than four years to graduate and give 
     credit to schools, school districts, and states for 
     graduating those students; and
       Provide incentives for schools, districts, and states to 
     create programs to serve students who have already dropped 
     out and are over-age or undercredited.
       Again, we thank you for introducing the Every Student 
     Counts Act and for your leadership on this critical issue.
           Sincerely,
       Alliance for Excellent Education.
       American Association of University Women.
       American Federation of the Blind.
       American School Counselor Association America's Promise 
     Alliance.
       Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law.
       Council of Administrators of Special Education.
       First Focus.
       Journey Programs.
       Knowledge Alliance.
       Learning Disabilities Association of America.
       Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund.
       National Association for the Education of Homeless Children 
     and Youth.
       National Association of Federally Impacted Schools.
       National Association of School Psychologists.
       National Association of Secondary School Principals.
       National Association of State Boards of Education.
       National Center for Learning Disabilities National 
     Collaboration for Youth.
       National Council of La Raza.
       National Education Association.
       National Parent Teacher Association.
       Project Grad USA.
       Public Education Network.
       School Social Work Association of America.
       Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages.
       United Way of America.
       Youth Service America.
                                                       Joel Klein,
                         Chancellor, New York City Public Schools.
                                 ______