Instead of supporting the schools with the highest graduation rates – small schools – public policy is forcing many to shut their doors Spring is a time of renewal and new beginnings. This holds true for many graduating high school seniors. We ask ourselves, what does it take to graduate from high school, an accomplishment that seems to be a given to many, an obstacle to others, and an unnecessary milestone to a few.
The U.S. Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings and U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy wrote an opinion piece in May identifying low high school graduation as a national epidemic affecting approximately 1 million students each year.
Here is an excerpt of the piece:
We need to recognize that this is not just a high school problem. It’s a kindergarten-Grade 12 problem. It starts in the elementary years, when standards and expectations are set. Children who do not learn to read or do basic math in the early grades find it very difficult to catch up in the faster-moving middle and high school years…
Second, we must attack the problem at its source. Fifteen percent of the nation’s high schools produce more than half of its dropouts. We must give communities the support to staff these struggling schools with good teachers and turn them around. We must significantly increase federal resources for high schools that serve economically disadvantaged students.
The answer to the problem is simple – small schools.
Many academic studies have identified what it takes for schools to achieve a high graduation rate – staying small in size tops nearly every list. Small schools can meet many of the concerns addressed by the Secretary. Many factors result in high graduation rates in small schools – low student to teacher ratio, high participation in extra curricular activities, lower discipline troubles, and few truancy issues.
Yet, policymakers are making small schools a thing of the past, citing their inefficiencies and high costs, by underfunding them and forcing them into consolidation. This policy, often driven by short-sighted budget concerns, has mandated that schools get increasingly bigger and bureaucratic. The time has come for policymakers to realize the benefits of small schools and make it a priority to graduate students for a productive society.
Contact: Kim Preston,
kimp@cfra.org or 402.687.2103 x 1022 for more information about the Center’s work on school issues.
Dakota Rural Action has been a close ally of the Center for Rural Affairs since the South Dakota grassroots organization was established. In particular, Dakota Rural Action is a key ally in South Dakota on livestock market reforms, beginning farmer and rancher initiatives and on anti-corporate farming laws. Visit them online today. 
