1.23 Million Students Will Fail to Graduate in 2008;

New Data on U.S. Congressional Districts Detail Graduation Gaps

Graduation Data Available for Every U.S. School District and State

Report Finds State-Level P-16 Councils Are Increasingly Popular

But Often Lack Support, Clear Agendas Necessary for Success

WHAT:            National Media Conference Call to discuss Diplomas Count 2008: School to College: Can State P-16 Councils Ease the Transition?, the third annual report from Education Week and the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center that provides detailed data on graduation rates for all 50 states and the District of Columbia, as well as every Congressional and school district in the country. The report provides detailed analysis of the evolution and efforts of P-16 councils, case studies of three states’ experiences with such councils, and commentaries from four leading experts in the field

WHO:              Christopher B. Swanson, Director, EPE Research Center

                        Amy M. Hightower, Deputy Director, EPE Research Center

                        Virginia B. Edwards, Editor & Publisher, Education Week

WHEN:            Wednesday, June 4, 2008 at 12:30 p.m. EST

Please RSVP for call-in information

On June 4, Diplomas Count 2008 will be available at www.edweek.org/go/dc08. Embargoed copies of these materials are available upon request.

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Editorial Projects in Education (EPE) is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization based in Bethesda, Md. Our primary mission is to help raise the level of awareness and understanding among professionals and the public of important issues in American education. We cover local, state, national, and international news and issues from preschool through the 12th grade. Editorial Projects in Education Inc. publishes Education Week, America’s newspaper of record for pre-collegiate education, Teacher Magazine, edweek.org, and the Top School Jobs employment resource. We also produce periodic special reports on issues ranging from technology to textbooks, as well as books of special interest to educators.

The EPE Research Center conducts annual policy surveys, collects data, and performs analyses that appear in the Quality Counts, Technology Counts, and Diplomas Count annual reports. The center also produces independent research reports and contributes original data and analysis to special coverage in Education Week, Teacher Magazine, and edweek.org.