The Diploma Dilemma: Setting Students Up for Success

Published July 6, 2022

High school graduation rates have been on the rise, but they often don’t reflect better outcomes. To give the appearance of providing a better education, states and school districts have lowered graduation requirements. Instead, schools should focus on promoting proficiency in order to better prepare for them the job market.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What defines a good education?
  2. Is no education better than a bad one?

Additional resources:

  • Read “The Diploma Dilemma,” by Macke Raymond. Available here.
  • Read “The High School Diploma Dilemma,” by Macke Raymond via The Hill. Available here.
  • Read “COVID-19, High School, and the ‘Both and’ World,” by Macke Raymond. Available here.

Cast

Margaret (Macke) Raymond

Margaret (Macke) Raymond

Related

Working Papers

A Network Approach to Geopolitics

Economics Working Paper 26127

October 16, 2026

Videos

The Counter Revolution: Victor Davis Hanson On The Fall And Rise Of Trump

How did Donald Trump go from political defeat and the aftermath of January 6 to a second term in the White House?

 

October 19, 2026

Videos

Monetary Policy And The Shadow Open Market Committee Since The 1970s

Mickey Levy on his early career working with Alice Rivlin at the Congressional Budget Office and with Arthur Burns at AEI, as well as being part of the Shadow Open Markets Committee from its early days in the 1970s.

October 16, 2026