Goodwill Industries calls upon key stakeholders -- including state and federal policymakers, judges, law enforcement officials, service providers (including local Goodwill agencies), educators, employers, and victims -- to come together to create an environment that will hold people accountable and support individuals with criminal backgrounds who want to reintegrate into their communities and make positive contributions.

This report takes the first ever look at the relationship between school-based arts education and high school graduation rates in New York City public schools. The findings, based on data collected by the New York City Department of Education (DOE), strongly suggest that the arts play a key role in keeping students in high school and graduating on time.

The Fiscal Consequences of Dropping Out of High School and Failing to Complete Additional Years of Post-Secondary Schooling in Connecticut

Prepared by: Andrew Sum, Ishwar Khatiwada, Joseph McLaughlin, with Sheila Palma, Center for Labor Market Studies, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts

Prepared for: Our Piece of the Pie, Hartford, Connecticut

October 2009

An ever-increasing proportion of high school students in the United States today aspire to graduate from college. Yet statistics indicate that the percentage of college students receiving bachelorâ??s degrees has remained relatively constant over the past 25 years, that it now takes on average 6 years to get a four-year college degree, and that somewhere between 30 percent and 60 percent of students now require remedial education upon entry to college, depending on the type of instruction they attend. Also, over the past 25 years, SAT and ACT scores have risen only slightly in math and have been relatively constant in reading, high school grade point average has gradually risen, and the proportion of students taking college preparatory courses has grown as well. Given these statistics, what must be done to create a more aligned educational system that prepares students for college success? This paper tells you how.

This report, the third in response to a mandate under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act), addresses the following objectives: (1) selected states' and localities' uses of Recovery Act funds, (2) the approaches taken by the selected states and localities to ensure accountability for Recovery Act funds, and (3) states' plans to evaluate the impact of Recovery Act funds. GAO's work for the report is focused on 16 states and certain localities in those jurisdictions as well as the District of Columbia (District)--representing about 65 percent of the U.S. population and two-thirds of the intergovernmental federal assistance available. Under the Recovery Act, GAO collected and analyzed documents and interviewed state and local officials. GAO also analyzed federal agency guidance and spoke with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) officials and with program officials at the federal agencies overseeing Recovery Act programs. This report was revised on November 6, 2009, to more accurately reflect the efforts of one local area to gauge the work readiness of youth participating in Recovery Act-funded summer employment activities.

The 2009 Governors Education Symposium focuses on the education priorities outlined in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA): standards and assessment, longitudinal data systems, teacher effectiveness, and turnaround support for failing schools. Included is a brief by DQC Director, Aimee Guidera, titled State Longitudinal Data Systems. This brief recommends actions for states to improve their longitudinal data systems to meet the ARRA assurances and ultimately to improve student achievement.