Friday, November 15, 2002
Most EDPros don't know much about graduation rates...the percentage of young people who graduate from high school. It's not surprise, we never had to know this stuff.
No longer. In a global economy that runs on brainpower, graduation rates matter. Companies will grow where they can get a steady supply of brainpower.
And dropouts cost a community in terms of lost opportunity. For every high school drop out, your economy is losing about $200,000 in potential income. Not surprisingly, the income prospects for high school drop outs has been deteriorating steadily in recent years.
Graduation rates are alarmingly low. In the three counties around Charleston, SC, for example, the graduation rate is only about 60%. That means only 6 of 10 9th graders each years will finish high school.
No comes news that the US lags in graduation rates. In international comparisons, the US is only average. Nationwide, our graduate rate is only 74%. Learn more. Go
posted by Ed Morrison |
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Some Background on EDPro Weblog
The purpose of this weblog is to help economic development professionals -- EDPros -- keep up with the changes sweeping our profession. Strap on your goggles. It's a whole new game. There are no experts any more. The only place to learn about economic development is from other EDPros who are doing it.
One other point: the prevaling approach (paradigm, if you like) in economic development is shifting from competition to collaboration. There are a lot of reaasons underlying this shift, but here's the important insight: You, your community, and your region will do better by collaborating and sharing information.
If you are using a news reader, here is the link to syndicate this site:
Here's the link if you are a bloglines subscriber:
Speaking and workshops on Open Source Economic Development
As the idea of Open Source Economic Development starts spreading, more people are asking about it. Visit the I-Open web site to learn more. My colleagues and I are happy to explain the basic concepts in a talk or a workshop. E-mail Susan Alshuler if you'd like to learn more about workshops and speaking.
Background on Ed Morrison
Download some background information on me here.
Trouble brewing...US lags in graduation rate
