According to a new report published by the Alliance for Excellent Education, states like North Carolina would receive a substantial economic boost by increasing graduation rates among racial and ethnic minority populations (African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and Asian Americans).
If half of North Carolina’s minority dropouts in the class of 2010 had graduated, Alliance for Excellent Education researchers estimate that the state would have had a $175 million increase in Gross State Product, $13 million in additional state tax revenue, and an estimated 1,200 new jobs.
The report does not recommend specific dropout reduction strategies.