EKB News

Education advocates recommended the state aim for an 80 percent graduation rate among high school students and focus more on the academic achievement of middle school students. Those were some of the ideas mentioned during a Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence meeting Thursday, at which members discussed five major education issues - attracting better teachers; increasing graduation rates; strengthening preschool programs; eliminating the achievement gap: learning disparities between low-income, special-needs and minority students and their peers; and improving student math and science skills. The group has two big meetings a year - typically one in the fall and one in the spring.