A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n

        FOR RELEASE                                         Contact:Rick Miller       August 2, 1996                                              (202) 401-1576

Latest Study Confirms: Education Pays Off

Two years after completing high school, graduates on average earn nearly 25 percent more than those who dropped out, U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley reported today.

Citing figures from a National Center for Education Statistics study, Dropout Rates in the United States: 1994, Riley noted that while three fourths of high school graduates continue their education, less than 10 percent of dropouts enroll in a postsecondary class.

"Most students not only complete high school, they go on to pursue postsecondary education," Riley said, "but each year hundreds of thousands of teenagers make a fateful decision that often limits their opportunities for the rest of their lives.

"Students leave school for a variety of reasons, but I'm convinced that if every teenager had the attention of a caring adult, it could make such a difference. Of course, parents should be engaged, but neighbors, friends, grandparents, older brothers and sisters can help, too.

"There's evidence that a lot of students are doing fine, taking harder classes and doing better on tests. But some students are struggling. This fall, I hope everyone will get involved. Go back to school, volunteer to serve as a tutor or mentor, work with churches or community centers to involve teens in after-school activities, explore new ways to combine study and work. The possibilities are endless."

According to the report, high school graduates who were eighth graders in 1988 and working in 1994 -- some less than full time -- earned a median income of $8,493, compared to $6,778 for dropouts, and 73 percent of the graduates had enrolled in a postsecondary education program at some time between 1992 and 1994. For dropouts without an alternative credential and not enrolled in a GED program, the rate of postsecondary participation was only 7 percent.

Based on census data, the study reports that in 1994, 11.5 percent of 16 to 24 year olds were dropouts -- a decline from 14.3 percent in 1974 and 13.1 percent in 1984. However, the report notes that recent changes in definitions and data gathering techniques make precise comparisons difficult.

"The long term trend is in the right direction," Riley said, "but we can't be satisfied as long as about one in ten students is leaving school without finishing.

"Still, I am encouraged. In visiting schools across the country, we see a new emphasis on discipline in the classroom, challenging academic standards, ongoing teacher training and more use of new technologies. In the long run these strategies will pay off, but we need help from everyone in the community to make progress. Good education is everybody's business."

Other findings include:

the high school completion rate is lowest for Hispanics, 61.8 percent, while the rate for whites is 90.7 and for blacks is 83.3;
only 4.4 percent of students from high income families drop out, compared to 11.3 percent from middle income families, and 21.0 percent from low income families;
dropout rates are highest in the West (14.7) and South (13.5), lowest in the Midwest (7.7) and Northeast (8.6).

For ordering information, call the National Library of Education, (800) 424-1616. Copies of Dropout Rates in the United States: 1994 will be available from the U.S. Government Printing Office, (202) 512-1800, or on the department website, http://nces.ed.gov/pubs/.

-###-