Report: Maine high schoolers graduating at high rates but not completing college on time
A report released Tuesday by a Maine education advocacy group showed that high schools in the state excel at graduating students, but that Maine lags in other workforce development areas.
The report by Educate Maine found that although 87% of Maine high school students graduated in 2014, only 48% of Maine students graduated college on time, which is 11 percentage points lower than the New England average. That gap increased by 5 percentage points from 2007 to 2013.
Completing a degree on time lowers costs for students and increases the probability of completion, a benefit for the economy, the report said.
This is the third report issued by Educate Maine, which unveiled it Tuesday at the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Ed Cervone, executive director of Educate Maine, said the 87% high school graduation rate is a notable accomplishment, but not all graduates leave with the same level of readiness. There is a proficiency gap in reading and math for low-income students — a gap has widened in recent years.
The achievement gap between lower-income and higher-income students played out in other measurements, including the percent of students graduating high school and going to college.
“Those who are living in poverty already have a few hurdles to jump beyond just learning the material,” Cervone said.
Increasing Maine’s high school graduation rate from 87% to 90%, the group’s goal by 2019, would result in $27 million more in annual earnings for Mainers, the report estimated.
Cervone said employers give mixed answers when asked if people entering the workforce are prepared for the jobs. Employers have told the organization that not all students leaving Maine’s educational system are ready for the workforce, including in both academic skills and workplace skills, such as collaboration and problem solving, he said.
Cervone encouraged employers to get involved in local schools to get a better understanding of the education and to provide opportunities for students outside the classroom.
He said improving education needs to be a collaborative effort between schools, parents and those in the communities, including business leaders.
“If you expected schools and teachers to do this among themselves, that’s not reasonable,” he said.
Cervone said the next step with the report is to present it to stakeholders around the state.
Although the organization receives about one third of its funding from corporations, the report was supported by philanthropic foundations, Cervone said.
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