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Growth & Enhancement of Montana Students
The 63rd Legislative Session has adjourned, Sine Die, April 24, 2013.
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
On February 4, the Office of Public Instruction released the 2013 Graduation and Dropout Report at a celebration with Graduation Matters communities, corporate partners and supporters. This year marks the beginning of the fourth year of Graduation Matters Montana. From 2009 to 2013, Montana’s graduation rate has increased from 80.7 percent to 84.4 percent, and the dropout rate has decreased from 5 percent to 3.6 percent. This means that 772 fewer students dropped out in 2013 than in 2009.
Through the work of local Graduation Matters communities, hundreds of students’ lives have been changed for the better. When you take a statewide view of the efforts to raise graduation rates and improve college and career readiness, you can see that the economic future of Montana will be forever impacted as a result of local communities and schools working to make graduation matter.
According to calculations made by the Alliance for Excellent Education, Montana is likely to see significant economic gains as a result of the increase in its high school graduation rate from 2009 to 2013. The Alliance estimates Montana will see a $4.3 million annual boost to the state’s economy going forward and an increase of $5.1 million in spending on homes and a $600,000 increase in automobile sales. Collectively, the additional graduates will likely earn an additional $68.2 million over the course of their lifetimes, compared to if they had not graduated from high school.
For more information about school and district graduation and dropout rates, go to the OPI Measurement and Accountability webpage. If you are interested in learning more about Graduation Matters Montana, go to: gmm.mt.gov.
Thanks for everything you do to graduate students who are prepared for college and careers. Together, we are making a difference.
Teachers in critical teacher shortage areas are eligible for student loan repayment assistance of up to $3,000 a year for four years—for a total of up to $12,000.
To qualify for loan assistance, an educator must be a full-time educator teaching in an impacted academic area. These areas are: special education, career and technical education, mathematics, music, English, science, speech-language pathologist, world languages, social studies, library and art, respectively.
Additionally, they must be teaching in an impacted school. These schools tend to be rural and isolated, have a higher percentage of economically disadvantaged students, and/or have greater challenges in closing the achievement gap. A list of qualifying schools is available here.
Questions regarding the program, eligibility and the application process should be directed to the Montana Guaranteed Student Loan Program at 800-537-7508. For the application, go to: www.mgslp.org.
Last Modified: Thursday, 06-Mar-2014 15:18:10 MST
"The Montana Office of Public Instruction provides vision, advocacy, support and leadership for schools and communities to ensure that all students meet today's challenges and tomorrow's opportunities."
The Montana Office of Public Instruction, Denise Juneau, Superintendent • P.O. Box 202501 Helena, Montana 59620-2501 • In-State Toll-Free 1.888.231.9393, Local (406) 444.3095
The Office of Public Instruction is committed to equal opportunity and nondiscriminatory access to all our programs and services. For information or to file a complaint, contact OPI Title IX/EEO Coordinator at (406) 444.2673 or opipersonnel@mt.gov
The OPI is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. The OPI promotes equal opportunity for all individuals without regard to age, color, disability, marital status, national origin, race, religion or creed, sex or gender, sexual orientation, or veteran status. The OPI has developed a written Affirmative Action Program which sets forth the policies, practices and procedures that the OPI is committed to in order to ensure that its policy of nondiscrimination and affirmative action for qualified individuals with disabilities and qualified protected veterans is accomplished. This Affirmative Action Program is available for inspection by any employee or applicant for employment upon request, during normal business hours, in the Human Resources Office. Interested persons should contact the Human Resources Manager at 406-444-3161 for assistance.
