EDITORIAL: Graduation rates and the value of a diploma

A school district’s graduation rate is its most obvious indicator of excellence (or lack thereof). Because the Clark County School District’s graduation rate has been so bad for so long, the state is anchored at the bottom of most national rankings of education systems.

It’s not entirely fair — the county and the state have many great schools in addition to a whole lot of underachieving ones — but it’s reality. The surest way to change the perception of the school district— and make the state more attractive to new business and industry — is to lift high school graduation rates.

This week, the Clark County School District announced its graduation rate increased for the second consecutive year, from 62 percent to 72 percent. Some of that gain is attributable to the extraordinary efforts of educators to keep kids in school and keep them on track. Most of it is the result of better tracking and verification of transfers. Previously, if a student left the system and attended school somewhere else, they could have been considered a dropout. Now a transfer student doesn’t count against the graduation rate.

This vigilance gives the public a much better picture of how many students make it through the system. And 900 more diplomas were awarded in 2013 than in 2012.

But the other side of this equation is the value of the diploma. Successfully graduating from high school doesn’t mean as much if there’s little academic rigor. Too many Clark County School District graduates are barely literate. Too many struggle with basic math. Too many who move on to UNLV and the College of Southern Nevada need remedial courses.

Increasing the graduation rate is a great start. Now the district must redouble its efforts to make its diplomas worth more.