Su segnalazione di @NS3.

Il tasso di abbandono scolastico nella contea di Elkhart, nell’Indiana, aveva raggiunto negli ultimi anni valori molto elevati, ma il problema è stato affrontato con successo. Un’analisi del sito fondato da Nate Silver racconta come, focalizzandosi in particolare sulle percentuali di latinos che riescono a terminare gli studi con un diploma.

Five years ago, educators at Elkhart Community Schools realized they had a problem. Their dropout rate was too high. More than one third of the northern Indiana school district's students weren't graduating from high school on schedule. Among Hispanics, who make up about a third of the student body, the figures were even worse.

“It was a significant moment where we said we have to change the culture,” said Gail Draper, who heads the guidance department at Elkhart Central High School. “We had to do something to turn the tide.”

It seems to be working. In 2013, 85 percent of Elkhart's students graduated on time, putting the district close to the state average. Perhaps even more remarkably, the graduation rate among Hispanics is now equal to — or even slightly above — that of the district's overall population.