Every Child, Every Day

Book excerpt: Reform of the educational systems in the United States and all over the world are coming from a wide variety of sources―philanthropists and businesses, federal and state governments, administrators and teachers, both large and small school districts. More nimble school districts have the best chance of creating a revised model of educational delivery that will produce successful students. The national statistics are awful. For every 100 low-income students that enter high school, only 65 will get a high school diploma, 53 will enroll in college, and will 11 actually complete a college degree. (Nachazel and Dziuba 2014) And the statistics for students living in poverty are far worse. This is one of many reasons why Roger Cook and the Taylor County Schools are of particular interest. Any district with a 61% poverty rate and over 40% of students attending college and zero (yes, zero) dropouts deserves to be examined.