Better schools, brighter future
The status quo isn’t working for everyone. One out of every four Washington students won't graduate from high school in four years, and over half need remedial classes in community college to learn the math or English that they should have learned in high school.
The problems facing schools run deeper than just funding and we need to make some common sense changes along with a funding boost to ensure all our children receive a quality education.
the facts:
- Only 37% of our eligible low-income children attend Head Start or a similar preschool program. (Source: Washington State Department of Early Learning)
- By 4th grade, about 71% of all our students are reading at grade level, but only 54% of Black or Hispanic students are reading at grade level. That places us in the bottom half of all states for 4th grade reading: Washington is ranked 30th overall. (Source: OSPI Report Card, US Dept. Of Ed.)
- By 8th grade, just over half, 55%, of all our students can do math at grade level, and only 32% of Black students and 38% of Hispanic students can do the math expected of an average 8th grader.(Source: OSPI Report Card, US Dept. Of Ed.)
- Washington's graduation rate has been stuck at about 76% for decades. That means that about 1 in 4 students doesn't graduate from high school in four years. We rank in the bottom half of all states, at 34th in the nation, for our graduation rate. (Source: Data Mapping Regulatory Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate, All Students: 2010-11)
- Over half, 58% of students entering community college need remedial classes in math and/or English to learn things they should have learned in high school. (Source: Washington State Board of Community and Technical Colleges, Education Research and Data Center)
- Only half of Washington’s high school graduates have the credits they need to enroll in a public, four-year university like UW or WSU. (Source: Washington State Board of Education State Transcript Study 2008)
- In 2010, only 62% of Washington's high school graduates went on to a 2- or 4-year college. (Source: Education Research and Data Center)
- By 2018, two-thirds of all jobs in Washington will require a college degree or credential. (Source: Georgetown University Center on Education & the Workforce 2010)
