A new study suggests that increasing the ratio of adults to children in a community may help raise graduation rates. The study analyzed census and education data and found communities with more adults had higher rates of students graduating high school. Having more personal connections and support from adults in their lives can positively impact children's academic achievement.

1. New Study Suggests Help for
Increasing Graduation Rates
Marion H Martin

2. Introduction
• A former superintendent of East Hartford Public Schools,
Marion H. Martinez's career was focused on helping increase
the graduation rate.
Low graduation rates are a perennial problem in the
American education system. For many decades, communities
across the country have exhausted all measures to solve this
problem. They have tried increasing funding, raising
academic standards, and even immersing students in arts and
vocational programs – to no avail.
New research, however, suggests that a simple solution might
actually work: increase the number of adults in a community.

3. Graduation Rates
• Developmental psychologist Jonathan Zaff led a
research team in combining US census and
education data to come up with the conclusion that
improving the ratio between adults and school-age
children also improves the children's chances of
graduating. Making personal connections with
students impacts academic achievement.
According to Zaff, more adults in a community
provide a bigger web of support that can be
beneficial to children. These relationships are
precisely what children need to succeed in school.