Diplomas Count 2014 Motivation Matters: Engaging Students, Creating Learners

The nationwide push toward greater school accountability and common standards has generated a chorus of calls for raising the level of academic rigor in U.S. schools. However, the realization has come that academics alone may not be enough: Students have to want to come to school, work hard, and graduate on time. The 2014 installment of Diplomas Count investigates the new attention to cultivating character traits such as persistence, grit, and self-control in students.

This ninth edition of Diplomas Counts features a special survey of teachers' and school administrators' views on motivating students and an analysis of high school graduation rates at the national and state levels. It puts the U.S. graduation rate at 81 percent, up from 78 percent two years earlier.

ANALYSES IN THIS REPORT:
U.S. Graduation Rate Breaks 80 Percent
Borrowing for the first time on the federal government's new method of calculating high school graduation rates, Education Week's annual Diplomas Count report notes that 81 percent of the class of 2012 graduated on time, although gaps remain among some racial and ethnic groups.

Nongraduates, Class of 2012
The Education Week Research Center calculated the number of nongraduates of the class of 2012 in the nation and by state.

Graduation Gaps: Disparities in H.S. Completion
Members of historically disadvantaged minority groups make up a disproportionate share of dropouts.