Pros and Cons of Shorter Postsecondary Paths Are Weighed in New Report

An annual report published today by Education Week and the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center, examines the pros and cons involving the educational and economic viability of postsecondary pathways between a high-school diploma and a four-year degree such as community college, “early college,” or high-school career training that leads to occupational certification. The report, “Diplomas Count 2011: Beyond High School, Before Baccalaureate: Meaningful Alternatives to a Four-Year Degree,” says that the national high-school graduation rate stands at 71.7 percent for the class of 2008—the highest level since the 1980s.