National graduation rates are likely to rise for the third consecutive year, indicates newly released federal data from individual states.

According to the state data, only five states saw a decline in graduation rates last year, said The Washington Post.

“Though nationwide data is not yet available, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said that the preliminary state numbers suggest that the country is on track for a rise in graduation rates for the third year in a row,” The Post said.

In addition to an increase in graduation rates, most states also saw a decrease in achievement gaps for minority students.

“In 2014, the gap between white and black students narrowed in 28 states, and the gap between white and Hispanic students narrowed in 32 states,” The Post said.

Though this is certainly encouraging, not all of the released data is positive.

“…fewer than half of states saw gaps shrink between low-income children and their more affluent peers; between English language learners and native English speakers; and between children with disabilities and all students.

Duncan, who announced his resignation effective this December, said that while the rising rates are a good sign, progress still needs to be made to help the hundreds of thousands of students nationwide who still drop out every year.

“Progress is good, but we’ve got to get better faster,” he said, according to The Post.

Read the full story here.

Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

10/20/2015