More than 70 percent of young Americans start some kind of secondary training or education program within two years of receiving their high school diplomas, yet many never make it to graduation day.
According to the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems, roughly half of the students who start four-year bachelor degree programs full-time finish in six years. America was once first in the world but now ranks 10th with respect to the percentage of young adults with a college degree, reports the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development.
America is quickly slipping behind global competitors, which is especially alarming in light of the fact that in just 10 years the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce predicts that more than 60 percent of jobs will require at least a bachelor’s degree.
A new nonprofit organization hopes to change the grim outlook for America’s youth in the global workforce by increasing the number of Americans who earn a college degree. Complete College America focuses on implementing changes in educational policy at the state and national levels to boost college completion rates.
Seventeen states have already formed partnerships with the organization to work on local college completion rates. Now the nonprofit and affiliated states will get a little help thanks to a $12 million gift from foundations including the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the W.K Kellogg Foundation, the Ford Foundation and more.
The funds will be used to provide colleges with guidance on applying for and effectively using federal funding to produce more degrees. The money will also be used to give schools technical support and start degree completion initiatives on campuses.
Vartan Gregorian, president of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, thinks this gift is an investment in America’s future. "Our hopes for preserving a vibrant democracy and the promise of social mobility that lie at the heart of the American dream depend on more students earning their college degrees," he said.
