Bingaman Introduces High School Dropout Prevention Bill

Press Release

U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman today introduced comprehensive legislation aimed at improving high school graduation rates and turning around struggling high schools. The measure is cosponsored by Harry Reid (D-NV), Chris Dodd (D-CT), Patty Murray (D-WA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Bob Casey (D-PA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Al Franken (D-MN).

The Graduation Promise Act (GPA) would provide federal funds to improve high schools in which a high percentage of students do not graduate on time.

About one-third of the students who enter 9th grade will not graduate from high school in four years, if at all. In New Mexico, only 54 percent of students statewide will graduate in four years. Outcomes for African American, Hispanic and Native American students in the state are even worse: approximately 50 percent Hispanic students, 45 percent of Native American students and 52 percents of African American students graduate on time. Students from low-income families drop out of school at a rate six times higher than their more affluent peers.

"We cannot afford to let underperforming high schools continue to push students off the path to prosperity. We must ensure our nation's economic competitiveness by promising each high school student a chance to gain the skills and knowledge necessary to pursue his or her dreams and succeed in college or the workplace. The Graduation Promise Act will help to make that possible," Bingaman said.

GPA (S.1698) would invest up to $2.5 billion each year in struggling high schools. Specifically, GPA would authorize for the first time a $2.44 billion competitive grant program called the High School Improvement and Dropout Reduction Fund, which would support states and local school districts in their efforts to identify and turn around high schools with low graduation and student achievement rates. Funding would be awarded on a competitive basis to allow schools to develop partnerships with local communities, education experts, businesses, and parents to implement dropout prevention initiatives such as mentorship and apprenticeship programs, and "early college high schools."

GPA also authorizes $60 million in competitive grants annually for the development and implementation of successful school models geared toward students who are struggling in conventional education settings. Schools receiving these grants might implement project-based instructional programs tied to state academic standards, use education technology in innovative ways, or extend or revise school schedules in order to reach underserved student populations.

"The Graduation Promise Act is an investment in our nation's future. No longer can we, as a nation, afford to stand by while millions of our youth fail to earn high school diplomas," Bingaman said.

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