To compete in the global economy, high school graduates need to be college and career ready. The number of jobs for those with a high school diploma or less is dwindling. Investing in education is more important than ever. According to Hawaii Department of Education's 2008 Superintendent's Report, Hawaii has been graduating only about 80% of its…

Graduation rates are a fundamental indicator of whether or not the nation's public school system is doing what it is intended to do: enroll, engage, and educate youth to be productive members of society. Since almost 90 percent of the fastest-growing and highest-paying jobs require some postsecondary education, having a high school diploma and the…

An ethnographic study was conducted of the school experience of 33 Samoan students at a nontracked urban college preparatory high school in Honolulu (Hawaii). Multiple sources of data were used, the most central being structured interviews with nine current students, their teachers, and their parents. Student friendships were of special interest…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Sitting at Home on Graduation Day: New Report Says that 1.2 Million Students From the Class of 2006 Failed to…