Failing to graduate from high school puts young adults on a path that is less likely to lead to success, according to Andrew Sum and Paul Harrington, the lead authors of the study.
"Individuals who do not obtain a high school diploma face bleak economic prospects over their entire working lives," Sum said. "It is in the nation's best interest to address this problem now, before it's too late for many of our young people."
Key findings of the study include:
• Annual estimates of new high school dropouts from the U.S. Census Bureau's Current Population Survey (CPS) are severely undercounted based on CLMS estimates. For example, the October 1998 CPS dropout estimate was 505,000 and the CLMS estimate, based on administrative data sources on dropouts from state departments of education and assertions from other data sources, is closer to 850,000.
• According to various government statistics, on average there are 120 to 130 male high school dropouts for every 100 female dropouts. However, the true ratio is likely to be even higher because males are more likely to be undercounted in surveys by the U.S. Census Bureau and are much more likely to be incarcerated than women.
• Hispanics and African Americans are more likely than Whites to drop out.
To view a copy of the entire report visit The Business Roundtable Web site at <www.brt.org>.
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