Why Washington's kids aren't going to college

But today, by some measures, we are one of the lowest states in the country.

This graphic is based on data about the class of 2009, and on recent trends that were used to calculate the likelihood that the students would finish college.

More than half of Seattle adults 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree, making it one of the most well-schooled cities in the nation.

So it may come as a surprise that only about one in four public-school students from Washington's high-school class of 2009 will finish college by 2015, according to a Seattle Times analysis of recent trends.

The decline happened over two decades, as high-tech companies were born or grew, and thousands of spinoffs and startups remade the Puget Sound business landscape.

State graduation requirements don't line up closely with the minimum requirements needed to go to a four-year school, and some students who do go to college are not prepared for its rigor, especially in math — raising the chance they will eventually drop out.

Completion rates for students at Washington’s community and technical colleges were calculated using data from the State Board of Community and Technical Colleges.

"But because we have grown accustomed to a strong two-year system, we have grown lazy in our sense of obligation to push toward four-year as a central piece of our higher-education strategy."

If it seems like they're starting early, consider: In South King County, only about 54 percent of high-school graduates enroll in college or some form of postsecondary education.

Some say the Legislature's tendency to treat higher-education money as a rainy-day fund when tax revenues drop has kept Washington higher education chronically underfunded.

It is tackling the digital divide by giving every student in grades 7 through 10 a laptop computer, funded through a tech levy that passed in 2010.

Carlyle thinks Washington lawmakers should be credited with at least one smart move: The state has set aside more money for college financial aid than almost any state in the nation.

Some of those students will eventually make it to college, or some form of vocational training, in their 20s or 30s.

But the efforts by these districts to get students to go to college is unusual.

"I believe a high-school diploma by itself, without some kind of advanced training, is the pathway to poverty."

She believes it is the way out of poverty.

If the number of South King County students who enroll in college is low, the number of students who complete college is worse: Only about a quarter earn a two- or four-year college degree, or career credential.

That gives teachers an opportunity to talk to parents about sending their kids to college, too.

He's got the solid build of a college athlete and the tough demeanor of a coach (in fact, he was both — he threw the discus and javelin for the Washington State University track team, and later coached several high-school sports).

But along with increasing the rigor of high-school classes, and being tough and demanding on his students, Barringer also thinks a key part of his job is inspiration.

Helping students believe they are capable of good work, and creating a school system that supports them as they do that work, is a cornerstone of all the best education models — "whether you use the terms 'believe in kids' or 'you have to have high expectations for all students,' " said Mary Jean Ryan, executive director of CCER.

Students who enroll in IB have the option to take end-of-course exams for possible college credit, and the number of students who take those exams is viewed as a signal of how hard they worked and how seriously they took the subjects.

Kent uses a wide range of other methods to boost student achievement, including interventions when students fall behind.

It has boosted the number of teachers certified to teach English Language Learners by offering in-house training.

Last year, nearly 90 percent of eligible eighth-graders signed up in the seven districts — more than 5,000 students.

The work is urgent, she said, because a recent Georgetown University study projected that by 2018, 67 percent of the state's job openings will require postsecondary training.

Barringer says his students wear a tough exterior that belies their vulnerability.

That's why Pfeiffer, the Scenic Hill principal, wants to instill in her young students — and their parents — the idea that college is at the end of every path after high school.