Although many educators have problems with some aspects of the “No Child Left Behind” initiative, it’s hard to find anyone who disagrees with the sentiment that we need to do the best we can for every child in the classroom.

Much of the emphasis of “No Child” has been on the elementary and middle school grades, but it’s pretty obvious that nothing puts a student “behind” for a lifetime like the absence of a high school diploma.

That’s the focus of an announcement this week of new federal rules designed to track and raise graduation rates for high schools across the nation, with special emphasis on minority students and students with disabilities. Like the rest of the “No Child” initiative, additional rules may not be the answer, but reducing the dropout rate nonetheless is a worthy goal.

To be sure, the high school dropout rate isn’t as big a problem in Kansas and Douglas County as it is nationwide. Although states measure their dropout rates in different ways, federal education officials estimate as many as one in four students doesn’t complete high school. According to the Kansas State Department of Education, the statewide dropout rate in 2006-07 was only 1.8 percent. The rate in Douglas County last year was slightly higher at 2.5 percent.

It’s a low percentage, but it still represents 156 students who left Douglas County schools before completing graduation requirements. And, although the county has a relatively low percentage of minority students when compared to more urban areas, those students have a much higher dropout rate even in Douglas County. Black students make up about 7 percent of the enrollment in Douglas County but 14 percent of the dropouts. When other ethnic minorities are added in, they represent about 21 percent of county students but about 33 percent of the dropouts.

The dropout rates in Lawrence’s two public high schools have run pretty close to the state average in the last several years except for last year when Lawrence High School’s rate bumped up to 4.4 percent. Lawrence has taken positive steps to address the dropout issue through the WRAP program that helps keep students in school, as well as the Lawrence Virtual School, which helps students complete their high school work in an alternative setting. These programs do good work and likely already see the need to pay special attention to the higher dropout rate among minority students.

As we noted at the outset, a high school diploma is more important than ever to an adult’s ability to be a contributing member of a community. Whether or not it’s part of a federally mandated program, it’s in the best interests of Lawrence and Douglas County to get the dropout rate as close to zero as possible.