The figures are a reason to be glad as well as a reminder that we have much more work to do in this area. The economy has opportunities for those with two-year technical school degrees, although it's getting harder to navigate for those with traditional four-year college degrees. Leaving high school without a diploma, without the academic background needed to pick up advanced career training, means the future will surely include diminished earnings and the increased likelihood of dependency on government aid.

Statewide, the graduation rate rose from a dismal 67 percent to near 71 percent. That's better, and getting better fast — the 3.7 point increase was nearly triple the rate of increase from the previous year. But we have a long way to go before we meet the 80 percent target set for 2014.

One local organization, the Lafayette Public Education Stakeholders Council, is pushing to meet higher standards - a 90 percent graduation rate, plus a student body in which 90 percent of the students are performing at grade level. LaPESC is composed of several organizations, including the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce and the Southwest Louisiana Black Chamber of Commerce, which have in interest in the quality of the local educations system and the workforce.

One ray of light: the performance in Orleans Parish. The graduation rate there was 93.5 percent. Gov. Bobby Jindal said the high graduation rate there shows that the reforms instituted in recent years, including the school accountability program, have made a positive difference.

Others credit programs like the one that targeted 52 high schools where students tend to enter school prepared to learn but where the graduation rates are low. The graduation rate for all the schools rose by 4 percent, and 10 of the schools experienced gains of at least 10 percent. In other parishes, where the Jobs For America's Graduates program operates, the graduation rates tend to be in the 90s.

Here in Lafayette, the School Board has made positive moves by creating the Thibodaux Career and Technical High School and the Early College Academy in conjunction with the South Louisiana Community College system. These changes will be valuable for one key segment of potential dropouts — the impatient students with clearly defined goals, or who are more interested in a technical career than more academic work, and who might leave high school early for a GED and some form of advanced training.

From there, it's important to reach out to students who might drop out because of discipline problems or similar obstacles.

Improving our graduation rate will improve the lives of many of our people and the economic viability of our region. It's not just about meeting some arbitrary state goal. It's about our future.