New Study: State's High School Graduation Rate Drops SEATTLE, WA (KPLU) - The state's high school graduation rate appears to be dropping. A report produced by Education Week magazine and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation shows Washington has one of the lowest rates in the U.S.

The report certainly catches your eye: Washington is ranked 43rd, with a graduation rate of 62 percent. Its neighbors on the list are Mississippi and Alabama. The study also shows the state has the third-highest rate of decline over a ten year period, at more than five percent. Nationally, the study estimates three out of every ten students fails to graduate. Sterling Lloyd is a lead researcher with the study.

Sterling Lloyd: We think it's really useful to be able to compare graduation rates across states.

The report follows 9th graders over four years, making some adjustments for expected drop-out rates over time, and then counting the number of kids who get a diploma.

Lloyd: We think it's important to really have an understanding of the scope of the problem, the scope of the graduation rate crisis.

But while critics agree that understanding the national picture is important, some say the way the "Diplomas Count 2009" report gets at their findings is problematic.

Joydeep Roy is a researcher with the Economic Policy Institute, a progressive think tank in Washington D.C. Roy says the report fails to take into account the varied graduation requirements across states, and doesn't make fair comparisons. He also says it doesn't accurately reflect 9th grade retention rates, the number of kids who repeat 9th grade coursework and are held back. Those issues, Roy says, could be undercutting estimated graduation rates by as much as 14 percent in any given state.

Meanwhile, Washington State's own calculations put the graduation rate higher, at 70 percent. A spokesman for new state Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn says that number is still too low to be acceptable, and the reason why Dorn has made improving graduation rates a top priority. Gary Davis, KPLU News.

Education Week web site with "Diplomas Count 2009" info © Copyright 2010, KPLU