Change the Odds: Overview: The Odds

The Odds

The odds stacked against many students, especially those born into poverty, are sobering:

  • Nationwide, nearly one-third of all students fail to graduate with their peers.1
  • One-third of those who do graduate are ill-prepared for either employment or college. 2
  • Only one-half of African American, Latino, and Native American students graduate on time from high school.3
  • In some urban communities, graduation rates are as low as 17 percent.4

For individuals, the consequence of these failures can be catastrophic:

  • Poverty rates of families headed by dropouts are more than twice that of families headed by high school graduates. 5
  • A dropout is more than 8 times as likely to be in jail or prison as a high school graduate and nearly 20 times as likely as a college graduate.6
  • Over a lifetime, dropouts earn $260,000 less than high school graduates.7
  • The life expectancy for high school dropouts is five years shorter than college graduates. 8

Certainly, every year, many kids beat these odds stacked against them. But like Geoffrey Canada, founder of the Harlem’s Children Zone, who is profiled in Paul Tough’s book Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada’s Quest to Change Harlem and America, we believe it’s not enough to help a few kids “beat the odds” and make it out of poverty. We believe America’s goal should be to change the odds, and to do it for all kids.


1 Bridgeland, J. M., Dilulio, J., & Morison, K. B. (2006). The silent epidemic: Perspectives of high school dropouts. Washington, DC: Civic Enterprises.
2 Greene, J., & Foster, G. (2003). Public high school graduation and college readiness rates in the United States (p. 2). New York: Center for Civic Information at the Manhattan Institute.
3 Ibid.
4 Neuman, S. (2009). Changing the odds for children at risk: Seven essential principles of educational programs that break the cycle of poverty. Westport, CT: Praeger.
5 Baum, S., & Payea, K. (2004). Education pays 2004: The benefits of higher education for individuals and society. [Trends in Higher Education Series.] New York: The College Board.
6 Harlow, C. W. (2003, January. Revised April 15, 2003). Education and correctional populations. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics.
7 Rouse, C. (2005, September). The labor market consequences of an inadequate education. Princeton University and NBER. Prepared for the Equity Symposium on “The Social Costs of Inadequate Education” at Teachers’ College, Columbia University.
8 Commission to Build a Healthier America. (2009, September). Education and health: Education matters for health (Issue Brief 6).Washington, DC: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.