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Almost 71 percent of Pima County high school students graduate in four years, below the average of the state and Maricopa County.
The statistic is part of Cradle to Career baseline report published Friday. High school graduation is one of seven key areas the education initiative plans to track and improve.
Cradle to Career Data Manager Kassondra Silva said analyzing the data can reveal “bright spots” or exceptions to the trend in which economically disadvantaged schools perform well.
“We want to go and learn from them and what effective strategies are you using with these students who are facing these challenges and how can we spread that knowledge to other schools,” Silva said.
Cradle to Career is a national initiative to promote collaboration between schools, non-profit organizations and business. The United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona coordinates the group in Pima County. It includes school district superintendents, University of Arizona faculty, the city of Tucson and Pima County leaders.
Flowing Wells School District has already started to offer more opportunities to high school students through an AmeriCorps program that is part of Career to Cradle.
Students get help finding jobs, filling out college financial aid forms and finding internships.
“We’re building a community that says these are some opportunities beyond high school,” Baker said.