Through continuing education, students are able to pursue the degrees and requirements that maximize their value on the job market. Research has shown vast disparities between the average salaries of individuals with high school degrees and those with bachelor's or associate's degrees, which the Bureau of Labor Statistics recommends for advancing in nearly any career path.

Now, the Alliance for Excellent Education is sending a message to parents, students and educators in a report released today which indicates that the U.S. economy would grow substantially if the number of high school dropouts was reduced by half.

According to the study, if one-half of the 600,000 high school dropouts in the country's 50 largest cities in 2008 remained in school, they would have earned more than $4.1 billion in additional income and produced an added $536 million in state and local tax revenues.

Bob Wise, former West Virginia governor and president of the alliance commented, "These numbers clearly demonstrate that every consumer, business and taxpayer benefits dramatically when we do what it takes to increase the number of students who graduate high school with the skills they need to succeed in life."

The U.S. Department of Education estimates that 17.5 million students will pursue post-secondary education in 2010.