| Things to think about High
school graduates have a
significantly lower unemployment rate
than non-graduates.
Districts such as Trenton and Newark
have been offering special night high school programs to help
students achieve the credits required for graduation or to prepare them for taking
the Graduate Equivalency Degree (GED).
In 1999, over 5,000
people completed the requirements for a GED.
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Importance
Education
correlates strongly with future economic and social well-being
for everyone. The higher the education level of the state’s
population, the more robust the state’s economy and the greater
the economic opportunities for residents. Education is also
a critical way that we transmit our values, culture, and shared
experience. A high school diploma is a passport to the benefits
of American society.
Economic
Without a
degree, young people face a difficult battle in the labor market
today and lack opportunities for advancement tomorrow. Education
makes people employable and competitive. It also makes them
rich in knowledge and experience. For economic development to
take place, we need capable, educated workers.
Environmental
Environmental
education helps us to make scientifically informed decisions,
rather than choices based solely on emotion. Such learning is
the foundation of future decisions that will conserve our resources
and allow us to live well. Tomorrow’s graduates will soon face
the task of reducing the burden that we put on nature today.
Social
Education
is central to developing future leaders and effective participants
in our state’s civil society. People who drop out of school
are not qualified for many important kinds of work or future
opportunities, and they are less capable of leading us toward
the kind of future we want. This is especially worrisome in
urban areas with the highest dropout rates. This is where thoughtful
leadership and strong communities are most needed.
Knowledge
Gaps
Graduation
rates do not tell us about the quality of the education each
student received. Furthermore, graduation rates do not tell
us whether these young people are responsible citizens, are
healthy, or have a fundamental understanding of important issues
and of how the world works. The Department of Education is evaluating
potential factors contributing to the recent decline in graduation
rates. In particular, the Department is studying the correlation
between the decline in graduation rates and the parallel reduction
in the dropout rate, especially in the state’s special needs
districts. Schools are reporting that more students are staying
in school through their senior year, but are failing to earn
the credits necessary to graduate at the end of four years.
Data Source:
NJ Department of Education
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