A Realistic Solution for N.C.'s Dropout Rate

February 12, 2010 | Posted in

It’s no secret that North Carolina’s dropout rate is appalling and only getting worse. In fact, dropouts have increased more than 16% since 2003. The state has tried throwing money at the problem with no success; what should North Carolina do?

The best answer comes from a recent report out of Milwaukee. At one point, Milwaukee was facing the same problems as North Carolina, with a high dropout rate and a pronounced achievement gap. Then, in 1990, the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) was introduced and provided an opportunity for students, under specific circumstances, to attend at no charge, private inner-city schools.

The results speak for themselves – the graduation rate for MPCP students is 18% higher than that of Milwaukee’s traditional public school students.

Opportunity scholarship programs like those in Milwaukee, Ohio and Washington, D.C. are seeing increased enrollment and fantastic results. The message that can be gleaned from these examples is clear – North Carolina needs to think outside the box. Instead of wasting money on the same ineffective approaches, we should invest in programs that provide real educational opportunities.