A widely reported study has shed light on disturbing graduation rates in U.S. metropolitan cities—more than 1 million students drop out of high school each year.
The implications are scary, as Richard Florida writes, “Ponder the implications of this from everything to human development, crime, social cohesion, and economic competitiveness.”
Maybe the key to improving health in the United States is to keep those lost students in school.
Health and income are related. As one study reports, “A doubling of income is associated with a similar effect on health, regardless of the point at which this occurs.”
Our employer-based health insurance system also makes it highly desirable to have a well-paying job with benefits. This article reports a large gap between high school dropouts and those who graduated, “Adults who don’t finish high school in the U.S. earn 65 percent of what people who have high school degrees make.”
A healthy (and well-educated) America is a competitive America.
