Montana sees greatest improvement in college graduation rates in U.S.

Montana’s improved college graduation rates are drawing national attention.
The U.S. Department of Education released statistics Thursday that showedMontanaincreased its number of students graduating from college by 3.2 percentage points from 2009 to 2010, or double the rate any other state. The national average was one-half of one percentage point.Montana’s college graduation rate rose to 40.3 percent in 2010 from 37.1 percent in 2009.
Last month, a report by the Hechinger Report, a nonprofit news organization covering education, saidMontanaregistered the biggest improvement of any state in raising the percentage of 25- to 64-year-olds graduating from college by 6 percent over the past three years. The article said the rest of the country “barely edged up on this measure by 1 percent,” while 15 states lost ground.
“To get a report card like this should be fulfilling and a sense of pride for allMontana,” Gov. Brian Schweitzer said Thursday.
Read the full story here: http://missoulian.com/news/local/montana-sees-greatest-improvement-in-college-graduation-rates-in-u/article_8e539f58-cc99-11e1-9b21-0019bb2963f4.html