An article in the Fresno Bee highlights gains in graduation rates in central San Joaquin Valley schools. In addition to mirroring the overall statewide graduation rate uptick, Valley schools experienced a statewide decline in dropout rates. Mike Hanson, Fresno Unified School District (USD) superintendent, expressed his pride in seeing growth in every one of the district’s high schools; in particular, graduation rates have grown by more than 10 percent for Hispanic and African American students over the past four years. Noted Hanson, “We take great pride in seeing this kind of growth progression over time.” The superintendent also attributes Fresno USD’s success to a push to offer more rigorous coursework coupled with increased supports. Matt Navo, superintendent of Sanger USD, also celebrated his district’s successes, yet focused on work that remains to be done: “For us, the ultimate goal is every child walks across the graduation stage and receives a high school diploma from us.”