Education Reform Would Address Dropout Problem

WASHINGTON — The Bush administration sought to bolster its signature education law yesterday, announcing new rules designed to address the nation's dropout problem and ensure close attention is paid to the achievement of minority students.

The secretary of the Department of Education, Margaret Spellings, announced that among the proposed changes being made to the No Child Left Behind law is a new requirement that by the 2012-13 school year, all states would have to calculate their graduation rates in a uniform way.

States currently use all kinds of methods to determine their graduation rates, many of which are based on unreliable information about school dropouts, leading to overestimates.

States will be told to count graduates, in most cases, as students who leave on time and with a regular degree. Research indicates students who take extra time or get alternatives to diplomas, such as a GED, generally don't do as well in college or in the work force.