Afternoon announcements: Despite gains in high school graduation rate, achievement gaps persist

The D.C. State Board of Education has proposed changes to the high school graduation requirements. If approved, the changes would require students to study more art, music, physical education and complete a thesis project. Washington Post

Our friends over at Eduwonk have compiled a list of education-related issues to watch out for in 2013. The list, expectedly, includes Common Core State Standards and teacher evaluations. Eduwonk

Yesterday, high school graduation rates on the rice was all the buzz. But what about the minority students who still lag behind? An achievement gap persists. High School Notes

And yet…

Despite the persisting achievement gap, Latino students experienced the largest boost in numbers in terms of high school graduation rates. The rate raised by 10% over the past decade. Huffington Post