Mo. ed commissioner: State must boost grad rates

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Missouri's education commissioner says the state's high school graduation rate isn't good enough, even though a new national report shows it's above the national average.

The annual "Diplomas Count" national report was issued Thursday by the publication Education Week. It showed that Missouri graduated 75.3 percent of its public high school students in 2007. The national average for public school students is 68.8 percent.

Missouri Commissioner of Education Chris L. Nicastro says that Missouri's graduation rate has improved by nearly five points over the past decade. But she adds it has moved up and down in recent years.

She says more needs to be done to ensure that all Missouri students will finish high school and be ready for college or a career.