SLC - Serving the South

Research by Mikko Lindberg

Policy Analysis | October 2016

Employee Voting Leave Regulations

Mikko Lindberg

Nine of the 15 SLC member states provide regulatory guidelines under which employers may grant employees time off to vote in an election.

Continue Reading

Policy Analysis | August 2016

Southern High School Graduation Rates

Mikko Lindberg

High school graduation rates across the nation continue to rise to new heights, according to data from the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics. The nation's high school graduation rate hit 82 percent in 2013-14, the highest level since states adopted a new uniform way of calculating graduation rates five years ago.

Since 2010, states, districts and schools have been using a new, common metric to promote greater accountability, reduce dropout rates, and increase graduation rates. For four consecutive years, graduation rates have continued to climb, which reflects continued progress among America's high school students.

For a number of years, the SLC Comparative Data Report on Education, prepared annually by legislative staff in West Virginia, has tracked graduation rates in SLC member states, among other key figures. This year’s report shows that the average graduation rate for SLC member states is slightly above the national norm, at 82.5 percent versus 82.3 percent, with Texas leading the Southern region, with a high school graduation rate of 88.3 percent for the 2013-14 school year.

Public High School Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (2013-2014)

(click on headers to sort by column)

Continue Reading

SLC Regional Resource | February 2016

Special Education School Vouchers: A Look at Southern States

Mikko Lindberg

School choice continues to generate debate in state legislatures, even as several states move toward offering their students options beyond the K-12 public school setting. However, given the particular circumstances of children with special needs, less debate and controversy has surrounded the implementation of school choice programs for students in special education classrooms. Since state governments have a constitutional obligation to provide an education to all children, creating more educational options for children with special needs has the most potential for providing them the best education possible. Meanwhile, considering that the average annual cost of a special education student is $9,369 above the norm, the provision of legally required additional services for special needs students can prove costly for public schools with a small student population, where economies of scale are not feasible. Allowing and supplying additional school options for special education students, in these cases, may provide savings for schools unable to provide cost-effective specialized services for the limited number of students requiring them.