According to a recent investigation by WAMU radio in Washington, D.C., and National Public Radio, Ballou High School officials graduated dozens of students in the Class of 2017 who should have failed their courses, had poor attendance, or didn’t meet other graduation requirements.

But this scandal is a symptom of a much bigger problem across the country: Improving high school graduation rates seems to mean more to some school and district leaders than the quality of education that students receive.

The Every Student Succeeds Act, now requires districts to report college enrollment rates in addition to graduation rates. High schools should be preparing students for the next step, but without critical support systems to get graduates ready for college, fudging numbers will likely continue. The ESSA mandate also provides an incentive to lower the bar for receiving a diploma and to push students to noncompetitive colleges.

We must begin investing in systems that provide an early warning that students are falling behind and provide enough resources for the right supports to get them back on track. Also, we need to continue investing in long-term data by increasing usability, training staff, validating the information, and reporting statistics in a way that is easy to read and access.

Read the full article on ESSA by Laura Jimenez at The 74