Feds Question Tennessee Dropout Policy

The class of 2010 lines up at Union City High School in New Jersey. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Federal officials are asking questions as Tennessee’s high school graduation rate improves faster than almost anywhere else in the country. A state law is being changed in response.

This new law would force school districts to get “formal, written proof” that a student who has moved out-of-state actually enrolled in another school. Otherwise, a student should be counted as a dropout.

Under current Tennessee law, the state can’t require school districts to obtain this proof, which is often hard to track down. That’s according to assistant education commissioner Stephen Smith, who testified before state lawmakers.

“We actually got a letter from the U.S. Department of Education raising a concern with our state policies, and in fact our state policy is in conflict with the federal regulations.”

Smith says school districts – for the most part – are already getting this proof, but it’s especially hard in places like Nashville. Metro Schools has more than a thousand out-of-state transfers per year. And of those, many are out-of-country. In those cases, Smith says Metro investigators will still be able to just make a best effort.