Reno, NV- Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto today recognized the critical efforts of the statewide Ready for Life movement to increase the number of youth graduating from Nevada high schools with a strong and successful connection to the job market by the age of 25.“Young people are the key to our future. Our community leaders should be commended for working collaboratively to develop a statewide action plan to improve Nevada's graduation rate and help ensure our youth are ‘ready for life!’”
Masto underscored the urgency of the movement with the following facts:
· Currently, only 62 percent of Nevada’s youth graduate high school on time, the worst graduation statistics in the U.S.
· Only 10% of youth entering high school graduate with a four year degree. This is a major concern for all Nevadans, with significant personal, economic, social, and community implications.
· Research finds that high school dropouts earn less, pay fewer taxes, and are more likely to collect welfare and turn to a life of crime than those who graduate from high school.
· High school dropouts are 3 ½ times more likely than high school graduates to be arrested and more than 8 times as likely to be incarcerated.
· Throughout the country, 68% of state prison inmates have not received a high school diploma. Yet, according to research, a 10% increase in graduation rates has historically been shown to reduce murder and assault rates by approximately 20%.
More information about Nevada Public Education Foundation’s Ready for Life movement is available at https://webmail.hdpl.org/owa/redir.aspx?C=57736f48940840f28b60ff9f958e57d1&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.readyforlifenv.org%2f.
