About
America’s Promise Alliance launched the Grad Nation campaign in 2010, building on 105 Dropout Prevention Summits we convened across the country to raise awareness and inspire action. Grad Nation is now a large and growing movement of dedicated individuals, organizations and communities working together to end America’s dropout crisis.
Building A Grad Nation Summit
Taking place February 24-26, 2013, the Building a Grad Nation Summit is the premier event of Grad Nation, our campaign to end the high school dropout crisis and prepare young people for college and the 21st century workforce.
Grad Nation Community Summits
The Grad Nation Community Summits will hasten the United States’ progress towards achieving the Grad Nation goal of a 90 percent national high school graduation rate by 2020. In 100 communities across the country, leaders from businesses, civic organizations, non-profits, local government, public schools, higher education, foundations and faith-based organizations will join with parents and young people to develop a blueprint to accelerate progress.
Building a Grad Nation Report
The 2013 report update of
Building a Grad Nation: Progress and Challenge in Ending the High School Dropout Epidemic was released in February 2013 by the Alliance for Excellent Education, America’s Promise Alliance, Civic Enterprises, and the Everyone Graduates Center at Johns Hopkins University. The report shows that we can end the dropout epidemic.
Dropout Crisis Facts
The national high school graduation rate is increasing at an accelerated pace. The current rate is 78.2 percent. Even with this progress, too many students remain trapped in schools where graduation is not the norm.
Grad Nation Indicators
America’s Promise Alliance has adopted 10 nationally tracked indicators to gauge progress toward our Grad Nation goals of attaining a 90 percent graduation rate by 2020 and regaining America’s standing as first in the world in college completion. Together they reflect our commitment, based on extensive evidence, to providing the fundamental resources that children and youth need to thrive throughout the full continuum of their development. This approach to setting young people up for success comes through clearly in the Five Promises: Caring Adults, Safe Places, A Healthy Start, Effective Education, and Opportunities to Make a Difference.
Tools and Reports
We recommend reveiwing the following materials to gain more understanding about the dropout crisis and graduation rates, nationally and in your local area.