The introductory text says: Attendance in secondary school is a psychosocial topic as much as a cognitive one.
Whether or not an adolescent is in school reflects every aspect of the social context, including national policies,
family support, peer pressures, employment prospects, and other economic concerns. Rates of violence, delinquency,
poverty, and births to girls younger than 17 increase as school attendance decreases.
A top-down bar
graph titled Percentage of adolescents not enrolled in secondary school. The data are as follows: Region (female,
male): North America & Western Europe (7 percent,8 percent); Latin America and the Caribbean (22 percent,23
percent); Middle East & North Africa (48 percent,52 percent); Sub-Saharan Africa (61 percent,54 percent); South
Asia (50 percent,47 percent); East Asia & the Pacific (22 percent,31 percent); and World (37 percent,36
percent).
A compressed bar graph titled Selected secondary school graduation rates – age 25 and
under. The data are as follows: Finland (96 percent), Japan (96 percent), Korea (94 percent), Israel (92 percent),
Greece (92 percent), Canada (87 percent), Poland (84 percent), United States (84 percent), Germany (79 percent),
United Kingdom (75 percent), and Turkey (71 percent).
A graphical map of the United States indicates
the average rate of high school graduation for each state. Most of the country indicates average rates between 80
and 89 percent, Texas, Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and New Jersey are all in the 90 plus percent ranges.
Washington, Oregon, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Alaska, and Louisiana are all in the 70 to 79 percent range.