This topic is especially interesting for me because I dropped out during my 2nd year. I had extremely rigid and religious parents and the high school seemed to be primarily interested in conformity and there were no alternative paths to educating oneself. I worked for period and then enlisted in the service when I was 17 years old.While I was in the service, I took and passed the GED examinations with nothing less than the 97th percentile, i.e.,equal to or better than the performance of 97% of high school graduates who had taken the GED. After leaving the service, I tried to get a high school diploma based on my GED scores. They refused and said that they would review my records and then outline a series of courses I could take to get a diploma. I stated that I could enter any university (1950's) as an adult student and that I didn't really need a HS diploma. Administrators scoffed and said I'd be lucky to complete a BA/BS from a university. Despite their 'advice', I went on to complete BA, MA and PhD degrees and then I went on to complete a postdoctoral program as well. . I have been a university professor and researcher in a very complex field for more than 30 years. I have published numersous scientific articles and given many professional talks. I still do this work and I am now 72 years old.

Educational success can be achieved by programs that appeal to the natural curiosity in children and by providing a rich set of experiences that an individual child can find exciting. Reading, writing and math can be embedded in real world problems/experiences. My high school teachers were dull, boring and overly focused on comportment. Perhaps these factors encourage children to leave early.

In any country with significant immigrant population and diversity trhe drop out rates would be appear high

For example in California the drop out stats are inflated due to the high rated of Hispanic drop out.

1.The drop out is primarily due to: English inability, lack of culture of learning in the families, low SES ( socio economic status).

2.If you examine stats for European or Asian countries, the level of cultural diversity directly affects dro out rates. For instance, In Holland, UK and France the Muslim immigrant and their children have a much higher drop out rate than. Whereas in a country like Austria, with relatively little diversity, the drop out rate is much lower.

3. USA should copy Austrian or East European model model. If after middle school your grades are bad, you go to a trade school to learn a marketable trade.

4.The pre-occupation with " college education for all" hurt the colleges and children by drastically reducing the quality of college education and inflated the high rates drop out rates. Many of the students warming the benches at US school have no business there. I also see big numbers of remedial students at a college where I teach. These poor souls are taking Arithmetic (!) and ESL English... in college. These kids have NO conceivable right to be admitted to a college. They should have been redirected to vocational training years back and not deluded into thinking that they can hack a rigorous logics or English comp. class.

5. Simple fact: A good electrician or a plumber makes more $$ than a college professor or another underemployed PhD any day of the year.

Don't think Mississippi is the only State that cook the books. Why would school districts cook the books? Money!!! Relying on standardized text and graduation rates as measurement of success. They want their schools to look better rather than actually be better.

There are ways to improve schools dramatically. Just a few suggestions:
1. Demand more out of the students.

2. Shrink the average class size to a manageable number 15 to 20 students per teacher. Increase the days students are required to attend.

3. Separate children by ability. Spend as much on children that excel as the special-ed.

4. Stop social promotions. If the student can't read or function at grade level don't promote.

5. Offer internships for slower learning students. Give them a marketable skill they show ability to master. Teach them to weld, build houses etc...

6. Offer incentives for Men and Women that have retired from military, police, civil service etc.. to enter teaching profession or at least be mentors. These men and women have valuable life experience to share.

Let's not forget a college systems. Universities should be institutions of higher learning. Instead a BA or BS from most colleges today equal a high school diploma 25 years ago. Stop admitting athletes that can't spell their own name. Much less hold a basic conversation or write a brief book report. The worth of a University shouldn't be judged by Football or basketball prowess. It should be judged on the quality of the educators,engineers,scientist etc... produced.

education in this country is a disaster. we refuse to look for best in class in other countrys and try to have successes like they do.

4 and 5 years olds are excited about learning then they enter grade school and in about 4 years only about the top ten per cent care about learning.

so many factors. one competition between students. another little parent involvement. another teacher centered not student centered. another teacher arrogance. another lack of effective leadership. etc.

2nd world status for america soon. first economy has to tank. working on that now with corp fascism and wars for profits. another destruction of the middle class. another loss of human rights.

greed is good america is going down the tubes. had to happen unchecked capitalism goes against every spiritual law that I know of. karma is doing its thing. it aint pretty but it is effective.

That's not surprising it is likely they either don't count students over the age of 18 when they drop out or that they only count those who fail out rather than drop out.