Study Touts Benefit of Fewer Dropouts: Graduates Have Better Jobs and Put Less Demand on Service, the Report Says.

By Angel Riggs, Tulsa World, Okla.

Feb. 8–OKLAHOMA CITY — Cutting the country’s high school dropout number in half could save taxpayers an extra $45 billion annually, according to a study released Wednesday.

The study, led by the New York City-based Center for Benefit-Cost Studies of Education at Columbia University’s Teachers College, found that of all 20-year-olds in the United States, about 700,000 dropped out.

Reducing that number by one-fifth would save taxpayers $18 billion, the study found, since high school graduates generate more tax revenue and are less likely to rely on public benefits or end up in prison.

The study also highlighted five “cost-effective” strategies to boost the numbers of high school graduates, including prekindergarten programs, smaller class sizes for early elementary students and higher teacher salaries.

Oklahoma’s effort to provide public preschool programs for 4-year-olds has gained national attention.

The state made headlines again last week when Gov. Brad Henry called for the creation of a program for 3-year-olds.

In Oklahoma, 70 percent of 4-year-olds attend public preschool programs, said State Superintendent Sandy Garrett, who was not affiliated with the study. “We believe that what it does is break the cycle of poverty and provide age-appropriate education,” she said.

During the 2004-2005 school year, Oklahoma’s dropout rate was 3.2 percent, according to the Oklahoma Department of Education.

Early childhood programs have a high rate of return, said Clive Belfield, an assistant professor at City University of New York, and one of the study’s authors.

There are two theories on why the programs work so well, he said. One is that they prepare kids for school and build a secure foundation within school, reducing the chance the child will fall behind.

Also, he said, the programs could give parents time to invest in their own skills and get better paying jobs.

Belfield said the evidence is “very strong” that a program for 4-year-olds will work to reduce the dropout rate, he said.

“We’re on less solid ground saying a 3-year-old program will work, but we can infer it will on the grounds that the 4-year-old program is so beneficial that even if it’s half as good, it’s going to pay for itself.”

High school graduates provide substantial savings for taxpayers, according to the study.

For example, boys who drop out are expected to pay about $200,000 in taxes during their lifetime, while graduates pay between $276,000 and $353,000, the study said.

Girls who drop out will pay less than $100,000 in taxes, but those who graduate pay between $166,000 and $184,000.

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Copyright (c) 2007, Tulsa World, Okla.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.

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