In particular, independent research — once viewed as controversial but now increasingly
acknowledged by elected and appointed officials in the highest levels of government — has revealed a state of affairs in which three in ten students fail to finish high
school with a
diploma and in which barely half of historically disadvantaged minority students graduate.
Flexible pathways to a
diploma acknowledge four - year college degrees are not necessary for every high
school graduate, but a more rigorous curriculum is needed for those going directly into the workforce.