Pathway to Improving Educational Achievement
Greater Los Angeles is facing a crisis in education. Only 50 percent of our students graduate from high school. Many drop out, leaving between the 9th and 10th grades because they are unprepared for the challenges of high school. Of those students who do graduate, fewer than half have completed the college preparatory courses required for admission to California’s public universities.
The middle grades are a crucial time for students. Most kids formalize their future educational plans between 8th and 10th grades. If we’re going to improve the educational achievement of our youth, it’s essential that we reach kids in the 8th or 9th grades at the very latest.1.
In California, while early childhood and elementary school education are already receiving public attention and efforts to improve high schools are underway, there’s still a need for a high-profile, coordinated and comprehensive effort in middle school. Specifically, we must support students who are in danger of not making the transition from middle school to high school, and prepare them for futures filled with success.
1. Hossler, D., Schmit, J., and Vesper, N. (1999). Going to College; How Social, Economic, and Educational Factors Influence the Decisions Students Make. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press