05/08/2012
If the 1.3 million high school dropouts from the Class of 2010 had earned their diplomas instead of dropping out, the U.S. economy would have seen an additional $337 billion in wages over these students' lifetimes. And that's only for one year-the country can expect to lose well over $300 billion in potential earnings next year as well, due to dropouts from the Class of 2011. If this annual pattern is allowed to continue, 13 million students will drop out of school during the next decade at a cost to the nation of more than $3 trillion.
Why is this an issue now? As we all know, in the past many students didn't finish school and still went on to do well in life. However, those days are gone. In today’s global, technology-driven economy, education is the main currency. For example, by 2018, over 60 percent of jobs will require some education beyond high school. However, recent projections have estimated we will fall far short of meeting this demand if we continue with our current high school and postsecondary graduation rates.
