Operation Graduate: Business Fights Georgia's Rising Dropout Rates

$4 billion. That’s how much Georgia’s shamefully low graduation rates cost Atlanta. But scores of area business leaders are rising up to improve the numbers.

Michael J. Pallerino

October 22, 2007

The numbers are simple, but staggering. According to the Georgia Department of Education, our state's 2007 spring high school graduation rate is 71.2 percent. And while some might argue the number trended up slightly (it was 70.8 percent in 2006), the most recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics as Business to Business went to press ranks Georgia among the nation's bottom five states for public high school graduation rates.

There is no trying to avoid the fact that many Georgia schools continue to struggle with the most succinct way to measure the K-12 system's success: high school graduates. Among the most prevalent of questions is how the state's workforce will get the human capital it needs to achieve its potential if nearly one-third of its children aren't even finishing high school.

As the number of high school non-graduates rises, communities across the state bear the costs of reduced revenue to local businesses; increased costs to support unemployed and underemployed citizens; increased costs for health care; and the need to import college and technical school graduates to fill the local workforce's needs.

A recent Georgia Southern University study estimated low graduation rates cost metro Atlanta approximately $4 billion each year. "This is a price we cannot afford to pay," says Steve Dolinger, president of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education (GPEE).

He says the price the business community pays not only is reflected in a loss of personal income and a lower per capita income, but also indirectly leads to higher crime rates and welfare expenses; increased rates of unemployment; and greater costs of health care for the poor.

George M. Israel, III, president and CEO of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, is alarmed. "There absolutely was a time in our history when a person could leave school at 15 or 16, enter the workforce and remain gainfully employed for their entire career, even supporting a family," he says. "Those days are over. If a company is not convinced they can rely on that ‘workforce pipeline,' it's limited in every way. Expansions mean finding new employees and plant or operational improvements usually mean a greater degree of technical sophistication is needed. A good pipeline keeps flowing; it doesn't cut off after the first burst."

While business leaders such as David Stockert, president and CEO of Post Properties, have seen first-hand the good work area schools can do with even minimal resources, he knows there is more work to be done. Last year, Stockert visited Cleveland Elementary School in Atlanta as part of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce's Principal for a Day program. The experience moved him to action.

While he had no idea what to expect, Stockert was so taken by the experience that Post basically adopted the school as part of its Post Hope Foundation, the company's civic and community arm. Post has worked with Cleveland on everything from landscape renovations to an outdoor laboratory that helps kids understand and appreciate the environment.

"Clearly in this country, the path to opportunity is through education," Stockert says. "It's important for a city like Atlanta, one that is vibrant, exciting, dynamic and growing, be recognized as having [educated communities]."

And while Stockert says Atlanta features a high concentration of young, educated professionals migrating here, there is much work to do in our own back yard. "We have to work to improve the quality and the duration of the education of the people who live here," he says. "I came back from my visit with Cleveland Elementary and said, ‘Look, we have to start somewhere. Why not here?' That's what it takes – getting the business community involved and familiar with our schools."
It's a workforce issue

Fact: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration estimates that American colleges will only turn out 198,000 engineers to take the place of the 2 million baby boomers scheduled to retire by 2008.

Fact: The U.S. Department of Education estimates 60 percent of all new jobs in the 21st century will require skills possessed by only 20 percent of the current workforce.

Fact: The U.S. Department of Labor forecasts that by 2012 the U.S. economy will have the largest workforce in the nation's history, clocking in at more than 162 million people.

As impressive as that last figure may sound, it will not be enough to fill the more than 165 million jobs projected to be available. Millions of other jobs are expected to go unfilled because workers lack the specialized skills required to fill them. U.S. government estimates show a shortage of more than 10 million skilled workers by 2012.

There are several factors causing the shortage of skilled labor, including sagging high school graduation numbers; a struggle for students to adequately comprehend math and sciences; and a baby boomer generation nearing retirement age. That last factor ties it altogether; experts say when baby boomers leave the workforce, they'll take with them their knowledge and skills. And in many cases, younger workers entering the workforce don't possess the same skills as the workers they are replacing.

"There is one statistic I use often to illustrate how important a high school diploma is in today's economy," says Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue, who has been a strong supporter of the business community's emphasis on education. "Only 6 percent of today's jobs do not require at least completion of high school. That means for a student who falls through our system's cracks, he or she will not be eligible to even apply for 94 percent of openings. It is imperative we strive to make economic success available to all students, which will give Georgia businesses the qualified and available workforce they need to compete in a global economy."

Perdue is impressed with how the business community responded to some of the initiatives he proposed earlier this year. One of those included adding Community Coaches to work with the Graduation Coaches the state already put in place in middle and high schools last year. These coaches help broker the mentoring and job training of the state's at-risk students.

"Our business partners help students understand the relevance of their high school studies to their future aspirations," Perdue says. "Skills acquired in academic settings are important whether a student wants to be an aviation maintenance technician, a teacher or a biomedical engineer. We must show our students the importance of this link and our state's business community has taken on this challenge."

Dolinger believes the opportunity to improve the state's education system is not limited to what can be done by its officials and employees.

Opportunities are as diverse and numerous as the individuals and communities across the state who are willing to get involved. "Securing Atlanta's future – and the future of our state – depends on repairing the cracks in our educational pipeline," Dolinger says. "Businesses, schools and communities must work collaboratively and scale up their efforts to improve local education, which will strengthen our human capital and provide the solid foundation for work-ready cities and regions."

Getting workforce ready

According to the 2007 study by Georgia Southern University, for every 1 percent of the population age 25 and older that doesn't complete high school, per capita income in Georgia's counties is lowered by $98.20. High school non-completion in Georgia costs the state $18 billion per year in foregone income. Add the loss of state output, and this figure increases to $24.5 billion. Additionally, high school non-completion reduces state employment by approximately 200,000 jobs.

Another alarming trend is that jobs for those who fail to complete high school are rapidly declining. The Georgia Southern study reported in the state's southeast regions, the number of occupations requiring less than a high school education will stagnate or possibly even decline over the next 20 years. "We have seen cases where companies have decided not to locate in Georgia or move out of the state simply because they weren't sure they could find a suitable workforce," Israel says. "If unchecked, it could lead to a disastrous impact."

Across the state, educators are working hand in hand with their respective business leaders to create and implement strategies that can make a difference. Take Georgia's Work Ready Program, an ambitious plan designed to improve the state workforce's training and marketability. The program is designed to help bridge the gap between communities where the local workforce lacks the right education and training. The two-fold plan establishes the work ready certificate program, providing employers with documentation that each worker meets a minimum set of skill and education standards and is ready for employment. Workers take a validated job assessment as their skills are matched to current and future job opportunities through an occupational profile.

Perdue and the Georgia Chamber of Commerce also have established the Certified Work Ready Community, a voluntary initiative where a community shows it has the validated, skilled workforce needed to fill current and future jobs. Local education, economic development and workforce development professionals, using the number of individuals within the community with Work Ready Certificates as a basis, are leveraging their resources to seek the Certified Work Ready Community designation. The criteria also will require communities to demonstrate a commitment to improve high school graduation rates.

Companies such as Georgia Power have supported the initiative. "[We] are experiencing these same education and workforce challenges," says Mike Garrett, president and CEO. "In one particular county, from which we recruit employees for a local power plant, fewer than half of the students graduate from high school. Of those who do graduate, 40 percent cannot pass our company's pre-employment exam. Drug screening and background checks eliminate more from the potential pool of workers, the result being only a few candidates meet [our] employment qualifications."

The Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce also is working to help bridge the gap between the business and education communities. Janie Maddox, senior VP of Post Properties and chairman of the chamber's regional education policy committee, has been a long-time volunteer working to make a difference.

"One of the most important steps is getting the business community involved," says Maddox, who works closely with Joy Hawkins, the chamber's VP of regional education. "And they are stepping in. They see that every child deserves a chance and that getting a chance means that they [business community] must be involved."

 "Making that connection is the key," Hawkins adds. "Business leaders involved with our programs know Atlanta must be able to keep up with the nation and the rest of the world when it comes to education."

Solutions are out there

Wanda Creel, associate superintendent of school improvement services for the Georgia Department of Education, has a front row seat to the state's educational challenges. Despite the severity of the state's low graduation rates and the impending impact it could have on future business, Creel remains optimistic.

"When you look at the number of students who entered the system in 9th grade and you subtract the number of those students who still remain at graduation, we have a large number of students who are currently completers versus graduates," she says. "They either didn't pass the Georgia high school graduation test; didn't complete all the course work; or they have a special education diploma."

Creel says Georgia's new graduation rules will incorporate all those situations into one diploma. "We want to increase the percentages," she says. "One of the challenges is to make sure all students have access to the curriculum. Right now, math and science are the most significant challenges. We have made strides in our English Language Arts (ELA) standards, but still have a way to go; 92 percent of Georgia students are passing the ELA. Unfortunately, there is a significant challenge to that number when you add math and science."

Creel also says Georgia is ahead of the curve when it comes to having a curriculum that students can apply the knowledge they attain. "We need to find businesses that will allow us to have student internships," she says. "And not always for the high flyers. Sometimes it's about taking a student who may not be as successful right now and giving them a chance to see how they can apply what they've learned."

This type of initiative – businesses that offer internships for all students, and not just high achievers – will help get students who have been disengaged with school back on track. "The majority of high school dropouts are not ones who are failing courses, but are the ones who may have been disengaged in school," Creel says. "If we can find a way to keep students engaged in school by having them see what the future of their schoolwork means [in a working environment], we can make tremendous gains."

Steve Sweat, one of the state's first graduation coaches, working from Dawsonville High School, Sweat says, "There are all kind of reasons why a student doesn't graduate." Sweat works closely with his community coach, Dawsonville Chamber of Commerce President Linda Williams. "Sometimes it's as easy as changing a schedule or guiding the child in the right direction. Other times it may be something happening at home. The reason is not my concern. My job is to help them find something that will help them graduate."

Says the Georgia Chamber's Israel, "I am alarmed because I know what will result. I know I speak for most business leaders when I say our concern is less about profits, productivity and sales and more about the loss of human capital. We do not have the kind of workforce pipeline in place today to support the kind of business growth Georgia has been used to." BtoB

Four ways to fix the graduation crisis

Improving the quantity and quality of the state's high school graduation rate means implementing improvements throughout the system. Following are four areas that must be addressed.

1. Early life experiences that impact a child's future school success.
2. Academic achievement in every grade as the foundation for high school completion.
3. Teacher quality as essential for student success.
4. The value of college- and work-ready high school graduates to our communities.
Source: "The Economics of Education"

How you can get involved
- Support area educators. Take an active role in helping educators analyze data and make decisions about school improvement. Review local student achievement data to become familiar with current levels of achievement. Volunteer to participate in data analysis. Provide a facilitator, space, refreshments and/or supplies for a strategic planning session.

- Partner with educators. Help design evaluation systems for school improvement initiatives. Share your expertise regarding goal setting, data collection and evaluation, measurements and metrics, and balanced scorecard. Volunteer to serve on an evaluation committee.

- Encourage schools to plan strategically. Serve on a school council. Volunteer to facilitate strategic planning sessions. Encourage your local board of education to maintain a long-term view when implementing new strategies.

- Get on the bus. Plan a local bus trip to highlight the achievements of your local school system. Check out the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education's Annual Bus Trip, which recognizes and rewards the academic successes of schools in the local community and across the state.

- Be a Principal for a Day. Spend a day with a principal at an Atlanta public high school, middle or elementary school. The Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce program not only creates awareness of the progress area schools have made, but also the challenges they face.

- Be a mentor. Organizations such as Junior Achievement enable business leaders to be tutors, mentors and volunteers. This year, more than 5,000 corporate volunteers worked with over 75,000 students in Atlanta and 107,618 across the state through in-school, after-school and summer programs.

- Get extracurricular. Promote activities like debates, quiz teams and language clubs that facilitate academic improvement. Recognize, praise and reward students for academics through newspaper articles or club newsletters, special discounts on goods and services, special events or cash prizes. Create scholarships that allow students to attend summer schools and college sessions. Work with educational leaders to design academic enrichment programs.

- Establish business partnerships. Explore ways your company can sponsor academic enrichment programs that support school improvement initiatives or conduct process management reviews for support services departments. Contact your local Communities in Schools office (www.cisnet.org) and participate in a mentoring or career awareness initiative or volunteer to serve as a community coach.

- Ask around. Ask local educational leaders to identify how you can help. Contact your local board of education, superintendent and principals to identify their specific needs. Invite educational leaders to speak to your business or community organization. Ask questions to increase your understanding of the policy issues that affect student success.

- Provide tutoring opportunities. Volunteer your time, make a financial contribution or provide in-kind support to tutoring programs offered by schools, businesses and community organizations. Share schedules and contact information about these programs with your neighbors and employees. Connect with a local Junior Achievement office (www.ja.org) and volunteer to educate youth about entrepreneurship, work readiness and financial literacy.

- Add more time to the clock. Encourage schools that need additional learning time for students who need it. Volunteer to help principals analyze their school schedules and identify creative ways to increase instructional time. Organize others in your community to influence the local board of education to approve measures such as extended school hours or year-round school attendance.

- Expand the horizon. Encourage students to pursue additional learning opportunities. Urge schools to offer higher level, rigorous courses (such as advanced placement courses in high school) and encourage local students (including your own) to enroll in them. Create and/or sponsor scholarship programs.

- Make it a family affair. Provide a work environment that encourages the involvement of employees in their children's activities and education. Provide flextime, matching leave, job-sharing or time off so that parents can get involved in their child's education. Provide in-house publications that emphasize the importance of parental involvement at every stage of a child's life.

- Be a leader. Encourage your district to participate in Georgia's Leadership Institute for School Improvement, a program for the state's educational leaders and aspiring leaders. The experience blends best practices from business leadership with content on school improvement and academic achievement. Encourage your superintendent to send district teams to each event.

- Be a coach. The Community Coach program grew out of an initiative by Gov. Sonny Perdue in that a business leader is assigned to each of the state's high school graduation coaches. The Community Coach serves as an external affairs liaison for the Graduation Coach by developing a cadre of resources, mentors, tutors and on-the-job training opportunities for students.
Source: Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education – www.gpee.org (Second Edition), Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education and the Georgia Chamber of Commerce