Feds release new high school grad data using common yardstick; Georgia’s rate is 67 percent, putting us among bottom three.
Remember when Georgia used to say “Thank God for Mississippi and Alabama”?
With the release of new national high school graduation rates today, Georgia is now extending its thanks to Nevada and New Mexico, the only two states with lower graduation rates than Georgia.
Georgia has a 67 percent overall high school graduation rate, according to data released today by the U.S. Department of Education under a new nationwide measurement formula.
For the first time ever, the cohort method will allow apples to apples comparisons since every state is using it to calculate how many of their seniors graduate in four years.
And those apples aren’t pretty for Georgia, which is among the bottom three.
Among states, only New Mexico, 63 percent, and Nevada, 62 percent, posted lower rates. (Also below Georgia were Washington, D.C., 59 percent, and the Bureau of Indian Education, 61 percent.)
Prior to the cohort method being adopted, states used a hodgepodge of methods — and a bit of voodoo math – to calculate their grad rates, often favoring formulas that provided too glowing a picture of how many kids actually received diplomas in four years. Georgia was among them, touting a grad rate of 80 percent.
Georgia does not fare well compared to its Southern neighbors. For example, Alabama has a 72 percent grad rate, while Mississippi has a 75 percent rate and Louisiana has a 71 percent rate.
South Carolina has a 74 percent rate, and North Carolina has a 78 percent grad rate. Tennessee has an 86 percent rate, which puts it among the top performers in the country. Virginia has an 82 percent rate.
Here is a link to the list of states.
What hurts Georgia’s ranking is its acute failure to graduate students with disabilities and students with limited English. Only three out of 10 students in those two categories graduates, putting us well behind most of the nation.
If I were DOE, I would be looking for explanations for why Georgia does so poorly with these kids. Yes, they are among the most challenging students to educate, but other states are doing far better with them, so there must be strategies we ought to consider.
Here are the Georgia grad rates broken down by demographics:
Asians: 79 percent
Black students: 60 percent
Hispanic: 58 percent
Whites: 76 percent
Students with disabilities: 30 percent
Limited English: 32 percent
Economically disadvantaged: 59 percent
According to US DOE:
The U.S. Department of Education released data today detailing state four-year high school graduation rates in 2010-11 – the first year for which all states used a common, rigorous measure. The varying methods formerly used by states to report graduation rates made comparisons between states unreliable, while the new, common metric can be used by states, districts and schools to promote greater accountability and to develop strategies that will reduce dropout rates and increase graduation rates in schools nationwide.
The new, uniform rate calculation is not comparable in absolute terms to previously reported rates. Therefore, while 26 states reported lower graduation rates and 24 states reported unchanged or increased rates under the new metric, these changes should not be viewed as measures of progress but rather as a more accurate snapshot.
“By using this new measure, states will be more honest in holding schools accountable and ensuring that students succeed,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “Ultimately, these data will help states target support to ensure more students graduate on time, college and career ready.”
The transition to a common, adjusted four-year cohort graduation rate reflects states’ efforts to create greater uniformity and transparency in reporting high school graduation data, and it meets the requirements of October 2008 federal regulations. A key goal of these regulations was to develop a graduation rate that provides parents, educators and community members with better information on their school’s progress while allowing for meaningful comparisons of graduation rates across states and school districts. The new graduation rate measurement also accurately accounts for students who drop out or who do not earn a regular high school diploma.
In 2011, states began individually reporting 2010-11 high school graduation rates, but this is the first time the Department has compiled these rates in one public document. These 2010-11 graduation rates are preliminary, state-reported data, and the Department plans to release final rates in the coming months. Beginning with data for the 2011-12 school year, graduation rates calculated using this new method will become a key element of state accountability systems, including for states that have been approved for ESEA flexibility.
–From Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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380 comments Add your comment
Taxpayer and Teacher
November 26th, 2012
9:16 pm
@John give it a rest since we have been in Georgia my family has earned three bachelors, two masters one doctorate and counting. Again we are AFRICAN AMERICAN. The more you talk, the more you confirm what we are thinkjing…What level of education do you have? It evidently did not past basic level and that must have been with great struggles in order to attain even that meager achievement….I give up. Good Night John
EChild
November 26th, 2012
9:20 pm
“God Bless The Teacher”, to say that your ideas are absurd is an understatement. I’ve been teaching in GA for 12 years, and I’m sorry, but you’re just out of touch with reality in this state. I honestly don’t even know where to begin with your drivel. Red state = dead state???? Are you 12?
Peter
November 26th, 2012
9:20 pm
Parents………. really ?
How about all the after school programs the Republican’s cut…..kids end up on the street no supervision, as more and more family’s have both parents working, or the one working two jobs, as the minimum wage is held down by the few rich who want to gouge the worker.
Heck this is a Republican state… they keep all dummied down for a reason..just look at the past two governors as the example….. Ripping off the state, yet not able to keep the finances in check.
Dr. Monica Henson
November 26th, 2012
9:20 pm
mountain man posted, “Why do we care how many students we graduate?”
Society’s moral obligation to children, especially the poorest ones, aside, it’s simple economics. The dropout crisis is the equivalent of a permanent recession (Tony Miller, USDOE). On the average, a high school graduate in Georgia earns more than $8,000 annually than a dropout. Dropouts will earn $200K less than high school graduates and over $800,000 less than college graduates in their lifetimes. 60,600 GA students did not graduate from HS in 2011. Lost lifetime earnings for them will total $7.8 billion. Georgia’s Gross State Product would increase by $337 million if just half of students dropping out of high school graduate.
Crime may not pay, but we do sure fund the consequences. Kids who don’t graduate from high school frequently turn to crime. It costs approximately $24,000 annually to incarcerate an inmate, compared to about $8,000 a year to educate a high schooler. High school dropouts commit about 75% of crimes in the U.S. 40% of state prison inmates dropped out of high school.
Other social issues are strongly correlated with dropout rates. Dropouts make up nearly half the heads of American households on welfare. In the United States, there are over 1.3 million youth ages 8-18 who are family caregivers to disabled, ill or aging relatives. Dropping out to care for a disabled or ill relative is a silent epidemic in American high schools.
EChild
November 26th, 2012
9:22 pm
Peter, Atlanta City Schools receives more per pupil than any other school system (over 13k per year). Is that still not enough for your govt utopia?
Peter
November 26th, 2012
9:22 pm
Unfortunately , blacks and hispanics do not do well in our state.
Yup no doubt………… the “white ” redneck is abundant here, and the good old boy network is in full swing………… just look under the roof of the capitol, and see what the good old Republican boys are up too !
Dr. Monica Henson
November 26th, 2012
9:22 pm
Sources:
Alliance for Excellent Education
America’s Promise Alliance
Grad Nation
U.S. Department of Education
The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives of High School Dropouts
Hillbilly D
November 26th, 2012
9:22 pm
Here in Georgia, students must have 70 or above to pass the class.
It’s been that way, at least since I started to school, in the very early 1960’s.
EChild
November 26th, 2012
9:24 pm
Peter is going to conveniently ignore the lopsided numbers regarding blacks and mexican graduation rates compared to whites. He’s also obviously a carpetbagger and is welcome to leave GA at any time.
Mike
November 26th, 2012
9:25 pm
@Maureen,
How many states used the 5 year cohort rate vs the 4 year cohort rate GA used this last time? Might that be some of the difference.
Peter
November 26th, 2012
9:28 pm
Finally, red state = dead state. How moronic is this statement ?
The best schools in the nation are found in the red states, and so are the highest wages.
10 of the 12 richest counties in America voted for Obama……. You would have to be flat out dumb to think these folks are not among the smartest as well.
Typical
November 26th, 2012
9:32 pm
I know what we should do, pray for better scores. Just like we did for rain. god is up there and he will blast, oops, bless us. Problem with this red state are the idiots that populate this state and have their head in the sand on education, health care and human rights. The state of georgia and all these republican idiots should be ashamed. Let us pray or better yet buy a gun.
Peter
November 26th, 2012
9:33 pm
Ops my bad… the Blue States voted for Obama, have the best schools and the highest wages.
Old teacher
November 26th, 2012
9:34 pm
I wish they would use a 5 year cohort. Georgia requires 23 credits to graduate–that leaves a very slim margin for error. Many special ed students do graduate within 5 years. It seems very unfair to count them as dropouts when they worked so hard and refused to give up.
yuzeyurbrane
November 26th, 2012
9:36 pm
Those that rule have totally washed their hands of public education. They gutted education budgets by billions and now have thrown the fully predictable resulting mess to the market place (their choice plan) since they could reduce costs by just funding the schools their voters kids go to. If I were in a blue state I would be advocating to let Georgia secede.
catlady
November 26th, 2012
9:37 pm
Re: GA vs the surrounding Southern states: Do they have vocational tracks? I would think that if Georgia reinstated theirs, our grad rates would go up. As it stands now, kids with less aptitude or interest do not graduate, since there is so little else available but college prep. Ms. Downey, do you know if our neighbors offer a vocational high school diploma?
ScienceTeacher671
November 26th, 2012
9:37 pm
God Bless The Teacher! pretty well has it nailed.
JDawg
November 26th, 2012
9:38 pm
We all know why………..and we can’t talk about it. We all know why that is too.
EChild
November 26th, 2012
9:43 pm
JDawd is right, but if you read my posts, I am talking about it. Read my posts, then read the drivel from “Peter”, “uzeyurbrane “, and the other carpetbagger degenerates that have slithered down here. They will bark 24/7 screaming it’s our politics that have ruined our schools and “funding, more funding dammit”. They refuse, REFUSE, to look at the reality of the situation for what it really is. And what is that reality? Read my posts.
bootney farnsworth
November 26th, 2012
9:47 pm
its funny to watch the trolls til at the union windmill which is a non issue in Georgia.
RCB
November 26th, 2012
10:01 pm
Maureen, thanks for the info. I guess every school district has its own reasons for drop-outs. Hopefuly some of those kids will be able to move to areas that offer better jobs if they can get through college. Even back then I thought I lived in a hick, backward county while I was in high school (it was). Guess it really wasn’t all that bad-LOL! We only had a class of 124, but not one student dropped out.
bootney farnsworth
November 26th, 2012
10:01 pm
they whys are easy, if you are willing to accept them:
-a state legislature who has chosen to treat educators as an enemy instead of an ally, denigrate the profession and are refusing their legal responsibility to education Georgians (Fish camps don’t count)
-a state populace who values football wins above graduation rates.
-inept and corrupt BOEs which the state refuses to address.
-a state populace more concerned with racial politics than education
-disinterested parents
-non existent morale of educators
-inept and corrupt principals, superintendents, PTAs
-teaching evolution is “lies from the pit of hell” mindsets
-a state populace more interested in red vs blue BS instead of education of Georgians
-brain drain of educational professionals
-no vocational tracks
just for starters.
RCB
November 26th, 2012
10:03 pm
I’d really be interested in vo-tech options in surrounding states, too. That HAS to make a difference (fingers crossed).
Moon Mullins
November 26th, 2012
10:06 pm
Red states lead the way. . . .to the bottom of the list. . . .when it come to education.
bootney farnsworth
November 26th, 2012
10:07 pm
I’d be interested in seeing if the surrounding states have the same level of migrant/illegal workers we do.
also, the amount of disabled students they have in the system.
johnatl
November 26th, 2012
10:13 pm
And our race to the bottom continues, unabated. Anyone here remember when this formerly great State was the shining, progressive leader the rest of the region aspired to emulate?
Frank
November 26th, 2012
10:23 pm
The graduation rate is a fallacious and restricting measurement, that does not account for the non-traditional student worker. What they should really measure is the “deadbeat rate”. This is the percentage of dropouts who actually just do nothing with their life but live with their mommy, smoke pot and play video games all day. I am willing to bet that many of our so-called dropouts actually do try to go out and do something else, such as GED, and many do work as apprentices for minimum wage in low-demand jobs, eventually to enroll in technical schools at a “non-traditional” age to further their skills and pay. Or, lets measure the percentage of 25 year-olds that hold some sort of post-secondary degree as a measure of the overall success of the public school system. With so many tech schools in Georgia, our future actually looks much brighter. The only failure of our teenagers is that Georgia ranks high in single-parent homes, and many rural families still do not value education or do not have the resources to push their child into a traditional college, and tech colleges still leave a stigmatized taste on the palate of today’s ‘cool’ teens. It’s also still too easy to leave school in Georgia, and for emotionally immature teenagers with no parental or familial support, it makes it all that much easier. But why is Georgia so low, and not other states? Could it be that our standards are so high that many of those same kids get discouraged? There are more things pulling our young people out of schools than challenging curriculum, and it starts in the home, and it ends with peer-pressure. Eventually they do grow up, better late than never, so lets give them some credit for being non-traditional.
Roberta
November 26th, 2012
10:27 pm
Interesting, the state pours millions into free state preK. The state has all-day kindergarten. But somehow, the kids have no desire to graduate. Could the answer be ???? The kids are burnt out? PreK is no longer play-based follow the leader style. Today’s preK is all work, in our area from 8:30 – 2PM. The Kindergarten kids are learning how to write sentences. In my grandson’s K class, there sadly were kids who were struggling to make the circles and straight lines needed for writing. Guess sentences are priority, regardless of the child’s developmental level. His school is SO academic, with primary focus on literacy. Science and social studies share a 2 hour instruction during the week. I taught the Reggio method. FYI — you CAN wrap science, social studies, and even basic history all into a literacy lesson. Georgia and most of the United States pubic schools fail to realize literacy should not be a separate subject taught over 2 1/2 hours a day, but one that is intertwined in the other disciplines. We are now home schooling. The oldest is a 3 rd grader and hated school, she says it is all blah blah blah b-o-r-i-n-g. The K boy had trouble sitting all morning with just reading activities. (and recess only at 1:30 for 20 minutes). They are both now excelling, and look forward to doing their school work.
George
November 26th, 2012
10:27 pm
Red you are right it starts at home people get a dam grip my son is at georgia southern free because his mother and i stayed on his ass not the teacher parents do your dam job work withhh your kids stop the BLAME game or pick up a broom
Roja
November 26th, 2012
10:28 pm
My Mom had only a 6th grade education. My Dad finished 8th grade. My Dad made minimum wage working in a textile mill all his life and we did the food stamp thing and Salvation Army Christmas, etc. so we qualified as “dirt poor”. Yet when I and my brother and sister STARTED 1st grade (before there were head start, public kindergarden, etc) we could each read, write, count, and do simple math. Mom read to us avery day before bed and taught us everything she could with her limited education. We all graduated high school on time with 2 of us in the “National Honor Society”. PARENTS are the most critical factor in my humble opinion.
Mike
November 26th, 2012
10:31 pm
Somebody has to make the french fries…
Private Citizen
November 26th, 2012
10:41 pm
As long as you keep threatening kids with testing, there is going to be a portion of them that run for their lives at the first opportunity they get (upon turning age 16).
Private Citizen
November 26th, 2012
10:42 pm
Testing kids and threatening kids with testing are two different things. We are most certainly in the age of “testing culture” as the A#1 hub around which everything in the schoolhouse revolves.
Love
November 26th, 2012
10:53 pm
As long as the people of GA continue to blame black people and the Yankees (in their speech-”liberals”) for their demise instead of looking at real solutions for their problems, we will continue to be at the bottom. Spread love, not hatred and have a blessed day.
coptuc
November 26th, 2012
11:15 pm
looks like teachers and schools from the other states are just passing some students just to get them out of high school…i seriously doubt everything is on the up and up if you know what i mean.
Blame Game
November 26th, 2012
11:19 pm
When are we going to stop blaming everyone else and point the finger where it belongs – the PARENTS. They are ultimately responsible for their children. The government is NOT responsible for ensuring the kids go to school. The government is not responsible for ensuring they do their homework. The government is not responsible for their poor eating habits and nutrition. The government is not responsible for ensuring they get off the couch and play outside. The government is not responsible for raising these children. Their parents are.
burntgrassroot
November 26th, 2012
11:39 pm
Yesterday the AJC had an article about teachers cheating on the Praxis, the examination teachers must pass to get their teacher’s license. The AJC has also reported the lengths that teachers and administrators have gone to exonerate themselves of cheating in the CRCT debacle. School systems have administrators who have never taught. There are several educator organizations in Georgia that function like unions (e.g. Georgia Association of Educators). School PTAs in Georgia have memberships between 10-90%. I believe each of the aforementioned facts have an impact on Georgia’s education ranking nationally. I think Georgia, and the entire American educational system, should look at global models for success.
http://www.oecd.org/edu/EAG2012%20-%20Country%20note%20-%20United%20States.pdf
I read that Finland was near the bottom of educational systems in the 80’s, and now they’re near the top (3rd) of member nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (The US is 17th). I don’t know all the the answers, but I know there are more than one. Some ideas that have had success in other countries: 1) Contribution to education more public than private, 2) younger student entry to school, 3) mandatory parental involvement, 4) more peer accountability among educators, 5) more paths to high school graduation, 6) less classroom time, 7) higher educator training, and
valid supervision.
Oh yeh?
November 27th, 2012
12:33 am
Oh yeh! GOP to blame the poor graduation rate? Is Atlanta mayor Kasim belongRepublican Party?
Truth in Moderation
November 27th, 2012
1:59 am
“John Taylor Gatto – The Purpose Of Schooling”
New York City Teacher of the Year gives insight to the dropout problem…..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeEWPbTad_Q&feature=watch-vrec
“What does the school do with the children? Gatto states the following assertions in “Dumbing Us Down”:
It makes the children confused. It presents an incoherent ensemble of information that the child needs to memorize to stay in school. Apart from the tests and trials that programming is similar to the television, it fills almost all the “free” time of children. One sees and hears something, only to forget it again.
It teaches them to accept their class affiliation.
It makes them indifferent.
It makes them emotionally dependent.
It makes them intellectually dependent.
It teaches them a kind of self-confidence that requires constant confirmation by experts (provisional self-esteem).
It makes it clear to them that they cannot hide, because they are always supervised”
Ray
November 27th, 2012
5:33 am
@ Roberta
As a kid who went through GA schooling I can safely say around high school maybe even parts of middle school I became burned out.
Plus certain classes just weren’t fun like the only Science I’m truly interested in is Astronomy and possibly Biology other than that I don’t care for Chemistry it’s cool, but not my cup of tea.
Same thing with the English classes after having it so much it got boring although I was glad to read certain books.
History was my favorite subject never had what I considered a terrible history teacher, and then just learning how people got about way back when day after day was just awesome.
Math again up to a certain point I stop caring about it. Because again it was tedious and boring.
I bet most kids would love it if you incorporate a hands-on style compared to staring at you(teachers) or just staring into space or out a window(that’s what I use to do when I was bored).
Most fun I ever had in schooling period came either of field trips(which didn’t exist in high school) or doing something hands-on cause I got excited about it, and not listening to a teacher the entire class period.
As for field trips in my high school we didn’t get to go on any because you had to be part of a club or something, but really I do miss those things cause I learned a lot. Plus they were good memories as well.
Hell if it wasn’t for field trips I would have never known about Lord of the Rings way back in my 6th grade year.
Chaos
November 27th, 2012
6:31 am
For the love of God, how can a reasonable parent allow a child to not graduate. In my house, my children have known that they will not only graduate from HS, but they will go to college and get at least one college degree…anything less than that and they pack their bags and strike it out on their on. And we’ve talked about the financial burdens of trying to do that…They don’t like school every day. But heck, I don’t like work every day either. It’s called life.
mountain man
November 27th, 2012
6:47 am
“Here in Georgia, students must have 70 or above to pass the class.”
So what? If they fail are they held back and have to repeat the grade (or even the class)? NO!
If they fail the now-non-existent GHSGT, what happens? Do they apply for a variance and get a diploma anyway?
mark
November 27th, 2012
6:53 am
Didn’t the bottom states all vote for the GOP for running thier states? When you have a 4th year high school student, who for the first two years of high school, ditched school everyday and had to be chased down by an administrator. While the student sat in a park and got high, whose fault is that student? The students themselves choose not to attend school and they choose not to do the work. You either work with your brain or your work with your back. I have a few who are choosing hard labor over using their brain.
HS Math Teacher
November 27th, 2012
7:02 am
High schools seem to be the focus of what’s wrong in this situation. Do the other higher ranked states have a better system of student accountability in the lower grades? Do they simply allow local districts to have “promotion/retention guidelines”? As I’ve stated more than many a time on here, social promotion of kids through the middle grades is killing us. When kids reach a level where they cannot succeed, then they will likely entertain the notion of dropping out when they become of age.
How do we expect kids who haven’t passed a math course since the 5th or 6th grade to succeed in high school?
Mountain Man
November 27th, 2012
7:33 am
Texas Pete – -11^2 = ?
Exceptions to the standard – There exist differing conventions concerning the unary operator − (usually read “minus”). In written or printed mathematics, the expression −3^2 is interpreted to mean −(3^2) = −9, but in some applications and programming languages, notably the application Microsoft Office Excel and the programming language bc, unary operators have a higher priority than binary operators, that is, the unary minus (negation) has higher precedence than exponentiation, so in those languages −3^2 will be interpreted as (−3)^2 = 9. In cases where there is the possibility that the notation might be misinterpreted, parentheses are usually used to clarify the intended meaning.
Mountain Man
November 27th, 2012
7:38 am
Dr. Monica Henson @ 9:20 pm
All fine and dandy to make these observations, but HOW do you make a student who has no interest in learning stay and graduate? How do you make a mother who is strung out on dope make herself get up and get her child ready for the school bus in the morning? How do you make that 13-year-old who is hanging with the gang value education? How do you get that 9th-grader who reads and does math on a 2nd grade leve (because he/she has been socially promoted) up to speed? You should be able to quote the differences in income to a student and they should WANT to stay in school.
As I said, you can lead a horse to water, but…
Build more prisons.
BTW, I doubt that more than 2% of all drop-outs are taking care of “ill or disabled family members”.
Mountain Man
November 27th, 2012
7:39 am
Texas Pete – -11^2 = ?
PEMDAS doesn’t address the minus sign. Use a parentheses.
Mountain Man
November 27th, 2012
7:45 am
“I am willing to bet that many of our so-called dropouts actually do try to go out and do something else, such as GED, and many do work as apprentices for minimum wage in low-demand jobs, eventually to enroll in technical schools at a “non-traditional” age to further their skills and pay. ”
You are probably correct. I have seen statistics that say 90% of our 25-year-olds have a high school diploma or a GED. So from 18 – 25, 23% of our youth has either managed to graduate or gone back and picked up a GED. I wish I could find hard data on what percentage were GEDs.
Some (especially the English-impaired) just go to work in unskilled labor (used loosely) where a high school education or GED is not required (roofing, for example). They could also pick Vidalia onions.
Logical Dad
November 27th, 2012
7:46 am
@Maureen,
Thanks for article and the information link. After reading both and all comments – I think the answer is simple. Apologists are excuse makers. “It’s the blacks!,” (I guess we have them all, then.) “It’s the Latinos!,” (ditto) It’s the unions!” (There are none.) “It’s because English isn’t the official language!” (?) What next? Low-hanging pants?
For the last 15 years, we have heard an incessant drumbeat demonizing public education (or, honestly, education and intelligence in general) from state and national conservative leaders and members of the media. How many times do you have to hear the term “government schools” to understand that it was not uttered in a positive light? How frequently do we hear comments like those of congressman Paul Broun that evolution and the big-bang theory are “lies straight from the pit of hell?” How often do we hear about the “Georgia teachers’ union” and its deleterious effect on our state – when there are no union in Georgia? (Despite what a couple of commenters insist on lying about.) And what the heck is intelligent design? The only thing it is not is “intelligent.” My God, it seems that intelligence (even rudimentary-level intelligence) is considered a handicap in Georgia.
Imagine what it must be like to be a student walking into class every day knowing that your Governor as well as most of the legislature as well as most of your state’s congressional delegation think you are wasting your time. I mean, you’re just gonna learn about global warming, Martin Luther King, Jr. and other stuff that goes against God’s law.
How do we change it? We cannot. Until and unless we vote out those who demonize intelligence and education. (Those that hang their Cat Deisel cap on Charter Schools will be in for a rude awakening when they realize that Charter Schools might actually teach *shudder* science! And history!!) Until then, we will be blessed with state leadership that subscribes to the axiom that “the only book-learnin’ we need is from the Bible.” May God have mercy on our state as long as these….people….are in charge.
EChild
November 27th, 2012
7:52 am
Unreal! I wake up, and all you morons are tossing around silly political ideas as the cause of this. Again, LOOK AT THE PERCENTAGES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It’s our two, large minority groups that are forming the backbone of this 67%! Gawd! How can anyone look at those number and not talk about the obvious source of the dropout crisis in GA????????????