Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Opportunity To Learn's Economic Consequences

If we make the investments necessary to provide to all students the resources and educational methods that we know make an impact, including access to early childhood education, highly effective teachers, college preparatory curricula and equitable instructional resources, the social and civic benefits for American society will be great.

Simply bringing high school graduation rates for disadvantaged students up to those now achieved by the average White, non-Latino student will, for example, more than double the expected college graduation rates for Black, Latino and Native American students. Employment rates will increase as these students complete high school in greater numbers, and will increase further as they complete college. Expected incomes will rise even more markedly, transforming communities.

With more education and higher incomes, health risks will decline and longevity increase. Incarceration rates will fall, particularly in the Black community, where currently the lifetime chances of a young adult male without a high school diploma of serving more than two years in prison are 60 percent. And civic participation will increase, given better educated and healthier people in historically disadvantaged communities.

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