The statistics about high school dropout rates in the U.S. were so alarming, we decided to incorporate them into a chalk drawing and share them with the rest of the country. Help us spread the word!
Time-lapse video: creating this graphic
Every school day, more than 7,200 students fall through the cracks of America’s public high schools. Three out of every 10 members of this year’s graduating class, 1.3 million students in all, will fail to graduate with a diploma.
Source: Education Week
A few closer shots
A few highlights from the graphic:
• 30% of high school students in the U.S. drop out. (Editorial Projects in Education Research Center)
• On average non-white students are 2x more likely to drop out of high school
• The Averaged Freshman Graduation Rate (AFGR) by race for the 2008-09 graduating year:
| Race | Graduation Rate | Dropout Rate |
|---|---|---|
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 64.8% | 35.2% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 91.8% | 8.2% |
| Hispanic | 65.9% | 34.1% |
| Black | 63.5% | 36.5% |
| White | 82.0% | 18.0% |
| National Average | 75.5% | 24.5% |
Source: Tables 1 & 2, Public School Graduates and Dropouts, National Center for Education Statistics.
It is important to note that although one report shows the national graduation rate at 30% and the other at 24.5% the numbers are from different reports that arrive at the dropout rate in slightly different ways. One uses the AFGR, the other calculates off a factor called the CPI or Cumulative Promotion Index. Though the numbers conflict slightly, we included them for reference and comparison in the race graph.
Materials:
• Original design created in Adobe Illustrator then projected onto a 4′ x 8′ chalkboard
• 4 pieces of chalk and a wet rag for erasing
• Timelapse camera HD app for iphone
• Tripod and a Glif tripod mount for iphone
Time to complete: 5 hours
