<P> By 1955, the enrollment rates of secondary schools in the United States were around 80%, higher than enrollment rates in most or all European countries . The goal became to minimize the number who exited at the mandatory attendance age, which varies by state between 14 and 18 years of age, and become considered to be dropouts, at risk of economic failure . </P> <P> In 1965 the far - reaching Elementary and Secondary Education Act (' ESEA'), passed as a part of President Lyndon B. Johnson's "War on Poverty", provided funds for primary and secondary education (' Title I funding') while explicitly forbidding the establishment of a national curriculum . It emphasized equal access to education and established high standards and accountability . The bill also aimed to shorten the achievement gaps between students by providing every child with fair and equal opportunities to achieve an exceptional education . </P> <P> After 1980, the growth in educational attainment decreased, which caused the growth of the educated workforce to slow down . </P> <P> Under the education reform movement started in the early 1990s by many state legislatures and the federal government, about two - thirds of the nation's public high school students are required to pass a graduation exam, usually at the 10th and higher grade levels, though no new states had adopted a new requirement in 2006 . This requirement has been an object of controversy when states have started to withhold diplomas, and the right to attend commencement exercises, if a student does not meet the standards set by the state . </P>

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