America's Promise Alliance

"Together we can - and we will - prepare children and youth for college, work and life."

- General Colin Powell

Toolkit: Policy Resources

Every year, more than a million young people drop out of school. On average, only 70 percent of all students graduate from high school. Among most students of color, graduation rates are even more concerning, averaging near 50 percent. The dropout crisis is symptomatic of a number of missed opportunities along the educational pipeline. In order to improve graduation rates we must strengthen policies and programs to meet the needs of students inside and outside of the classroom.

The Federal Education Policy Toolkit is a guide for local and state advocates on the key Federal policy issues affecting graduation rates and college-readiness. In this guide, six federal policy issues affecting American high schools are highlighted:

College-readiness and standards
Strengthening accountability for graduation rates
High school redesign
High school immigrant youth
Statewide data systems
Community engagement

In addition, general information about America’s dropout crisis is included, and special populations of students are highlighted. The purpose of this guide is to provide local and state education advocates with more information regarding these policy issues, including key reports and briefs for those interested in exploring the issue in greater depth, as well as information regarding related federal legislation. In addition, federal policy experts for each area have been identified and can be contacted for further information or for invitations to participate in any local or state events related to high school graduation rates and college-readiness.

The Federal Education Policy Toolkit: A Guide for State and Local Advocates (220KB PDF)