Priority 2 Emphasize the Value of High School Completion Despite a steadily growing high school graduation rate, Washington’s high school completion rate lags behind the national average by approximately 10 percentage points (91.1%) for people 25 and over who hold at least a high school diploma or equivalency. Despite a steadily growing high school graduation rate, Washington’s high school completion rate lags behind the national average by approximately 10 percentage points (91.1%) for people 25 and over who hold at least a high school diploma or equivalency.
Other suggestions included complementary approaches that stack the secondary credential with micro-credentials, short-term credentials, apprentice-able opportunities, and enhanced degree pathways prior to high school graduation. • Partnerships between school districts, regional workforce councils • Fully articulated pathways that begin in high school and reduce the time-to- degree in fields that align with local/regional workforce demand • Coordination with industry to identify and register apprenticeship opportunities that align with a student’s secondary experience • The potential for earning an associate’s degree by the time students complete their secondary credential
The primary reasons for this disparity include: • School-related: missing school, poor grades
• Family-related: pregnancy, caring for a family member • Employment-related: working instead of going to school
These factors are even more apparent in the Central Washington region, where high school completion is below the statewide average. Stronger investments in equity-centered support structures are needed so that Washington youths can complete their secondary credentials as a pathway to postsecondary attainment. Ideas include: • Centering the first-generation high school student experience in developing
secondary access and completion programs, services, resources, and activities through: - Peer mentorship programs - Robust postsecondary advising and support resources - Integration of language-diverse resources and support services • Enhancing resources for students with children, including free or greatly reduced cost childcare
Participants also outlined strategies that would relieve the administrative burden of college-going for students and their families while streamlining pathways into postsecondary education at two- and four-year institutions. • Create a centralized electronic transcript database • Improve alignment between CADRS and high school graduation requirements
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