HS Grad Rates A National Disgrace

[Nbadan]

Report: About half of Georgia teens graduate

By CHRIS REINOLDS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 06/13/07


Just over half of Georgia high school students get a diploma, according to a national report released Tuesday.

Diplomas Count, the second annual report from Education Week and the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center, provides detailed data on graduation rates. The report calculates Georgia's 2004 rate at 56.1 percent, which continues to be below the national average of 69.9 percent.

The report listed South Carolina as having the lowest graduation rate, at just under 54 percent. Georgia, Alabama, Delaware, Florida and Mississippi also ranked among the lowest 10.

Christopher Swanson, Research Center director, noted that ninth grade is the weakest part of the high school pipeline.

"Most students who do not go on to graduate are lost between ninth and 10th grade," Swanson said.

Among the nation's 50 largest school districts, three metro Atlanta systems ranked near or above the national graduation rate. Gwinnett County's rate was 67.2 percent, Fulton County was 67.2 percent, and Cobb County was 69.5 percent. DeKalb County's rate was 51.3 percent.

The report's 56.1 percent rate for Georgia is lower than the 65.4 percent that Georgia education officials reported in 2004. Department of Education spokesman Dana Tofig said the state is working to change its graduation rate formula to give a more accurate picture.

"Unless you have a system that can track student movement, every graduation rate is an estimate," Tofig said. "We are moving toward a true cohort rate. We'll have a very accurate graduation rate. ... It's about three years away."

Once a new formula is in place, Tofig said state education officials anticipate the rate will go down.

"We recognize no matter how you calculate Georgia's graduation rate, it is too low."

Tofig also noted the national report numbers are based on 2004 statistics and don't reflect recent reforms such as graduation coaches, curriculum changes and virtual learning.

"It's good that the discussion is out there. It's not news to us," he said.

Swanson said nationwide the graduation rate has only improved a fraction of a percent in the last few years.

"I would not expect those [national] numbers to change dramatically between '04 and '07," Swanson said.

Linky (http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2007/06/12/0613metgrad.html)

Asians and Indians are teaching their kids english, mathematics, and science and only half of some states have graduation rates over 50%, worse yet, most drop-outs happen in the 10th grade.

[Yonivore]

I'll bet their self-esteem is high, though.

[DarkReign]

Detroit Public Schools graduate only 25% of their students according to the same report. Thats the worst in the nation.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070613/SCHOOLS/706130409

[Extra Stout]

By 2080, we're going to have the demographics of Brazil. I don't think the state can fix it unless it fully takes over the raising of children in national academies. But that would be expensive, and we're already broke.

How long did Rome last?

[xrayzebra]

Hell dan, I thought we wanted a bunch of un-educated poor
people to do the jobs that we wont do. That is what
Congress keeps telling us.

[BradLohaus]

I thought we wanted a bunch of un-educated poor
people to do the jobs that we wont do. That is what
Congress keeps telling us.

The first thing I thought was, "what happens to all these people?" My second thought was basically what xray said.

[Yonivore]

The first thing I thought was, "what happens to all these people?"
Well, they become teachers, of course!

Boston's WCVB-TV (http://news.yahoo.com/s/wcvb/20070611/lo_wcvb/13480038) reports that teachers in Quincy are on strike. To judge by one quote, they may as well stay there:


"It almost makes myself look other places, other schools that would take better care of a teacher," another teacher said.
Us just hope hisself ain't no English teacher.

[DarkReign]

Well, they become teachers, of course!

Boston's WCVB-TV (http://news.yahoo.com/s/wcvb/20070611/lo_wcvb/13480038) reports that teachers in Quincy are on strike. To judge by one quote, they may as well stay there:


"It almost makes myself look other places, other schools that would take better care of a teacher," another teacher said.


Us just hope hisself ain't no English teacher.

:lmao Classic.

I have a similar quote. I was reading the Detroit News forum about Detroit's abysmal graduation rate and happened upon this gem...


I support Mayor Kilpatrick _25. I'm a Prospect Founder who looking to open a new charter school in Detroit. My organization provides before and after school care to all schools. But, if I had to compare between a traditional school vs a charter school I would choose to serve charter school only, but all children need our help. The reason why I make that statement, my organization tutor traditional students vs charter students (what a challenge!) students from the charter school reading levels were higher than those of the traditional school. Children from the charter school are eager to learn more and pursue an higher education. But I'm going to end here! Once again, I support Mayor Kilpatrick-25. Thank you

Notice his/her acute comparison of charter vs public schools reading levels and reading comprehnsion, only to butcher grammar, structure and punctuation beyond any explanation.

Charter Schools, For The Win! Where any schmuck in the ghetto can start a publicly funded school on the basis that they actually read and write better than most everyone around them.

[Nbadan]

Notice his/her acute comparison of charter vs public schools reading levels and reading comprehnsion, only to butcher grammar, structure and punctuation beyond any explanation.

Probably would have been less bias to not quote someone who stands to make big bucks by seeing public schools fail.

[DarkReign]

Probably would have been less bias to not quote someone who stands to make big bucks by seeing public schools fail.

I dont know if youre familiar with DPS (Detroit Public Schools), but trust me when I say, this Mia character couldnt hurt DPS in anyway that they already havent done to themselves exponentially.

Michigan = 50th ranked State economy
Detroit = Largest population decline of the 100 largest cities in America

There isnt a damn thing anyone could do to save Michigan/Detroit. It must die a slow painful death and start over. The death part is inevitable, the "rebuild" part is whats in jeopardy.

Hopeless. Simply hopeless.

[Extra Stout]

I dont know if youre familiar with DPS (Detroit Public Schools), but trust me when I say, this Mia character couldnt hurt DPS in anyway that they already havent done to themselves exponentially.

Michigan = 50th ranked State economy
Detroit = Largest population decline of the 100 largest cities in America

There isnt a damn thing anyone could do to save Michigan/Detroit. It must die a slow painful death and start over. The death part is inevitable, the "rebuild" part is whats in jeopardy.

Hopeless. Simply hopeless.
Michigan is the canary in the mine for America.

[DarkReign]

Michigan is the canary in the mine for America.

If that is truly an apt metaphor, I am deeply concerned.

[Wild Cobra]

All I can say is everything went downhill when the Department of Education was created by the feds.

[Mavs<Spurs]

I am a new, certified, secondary math teacher here in Texas.


Extra Stout and others who spoke about the demographic trend make a great point.

Unfortunately, (in my view due to an unequal playing field), most of the minority ethnicities do not have the academic achievement (or score as well on standardized tests) that the majority ethnicity does.

But those ethnicities are growing much faster than the majority ethnicity.
Therefore, if these trends continue, the US as a whole will have lower and lower academic achievement.


Reducing student teacher ratios, spending the same amount per student at all public schools (instead of tthe 30,000 per student in the affluent areas and 3,000 per student in poor areas), better pay for teaching in tougher areas, attempting to change culture, repealing NCLB, one of the worst laws in the history of the country, redistribute income, universal health care ... would all help change this situation.

It is untenable if we are to retain our favored status among the nations of the world.

(e.g. largest gdp , largest, strongest military (not used properly [as a police force] in a war that was not necessary)...)

[Wild Cobra]

I am a new, certified, secondary math teacher here in Texas.

How do you like all the rules and restrictions?


Extra Stout and others who spoke about the demographic trend make a great point.

I'm sure some of it is real, but I see the primary problem government interference where I live.


Unfortunately, (in my view due to an unequal playing field), most of the minority ethnicities do not have the academic achievement (or score as well on standardized tests) that the majority ethnicity does.

But those ethnicities are growing much faster than the majority ethnicity.
Therefore, if these trends continue, the US as a whole will have lower and lower academic achievement.

With national standards, you appeal to the least common denominator!


Reducing student teacher ratios, spending the same amount per student at all public schools (instead of tthe 30,000 per student in the affluent areas and 3,000 per student in poor areas),
In Oregon, the money is much more evenly spread out, minor difference due to different costs of buisiness, and we are rated among the worse school from time to time. I think the current level of money is at $11,700 per student, yet high school graduates get a worse education than I had entering high school.

I blame the downhill trend on the federal government. I say abolish the Department of Education.

better pay for teaching in tougher areas,
I say pay based on merit.

attempting to change culture,
Change what culture?

repealing NCLB,
Maybe. As long as the feds are involved, at least it brings standards up in places that are lacking.

redistribute income,
What? Get that socialism out of here.

universal health care ...
No fricken way.

No wonder out children are getting such a poor education. We have socialists teaching them!

[xrayzebra]

Reducing student teacher ratios, spending the same amount per student at all public schools (instead of tthe 30,000 per student in the affluent areas and 3,000 per student in poor areas), better pay for teaching in tougher areas, attempting to change culture, repealing NCLB, one of the worst laws in the history of the country, redistribute income, universal health care ... would all help change this situation.



Are you saying that affluent areas should not have the
freedom to spend more to educate their children if they
so desire. Obviously you are in favor of the "robin hood"
plan. Take from the rich and give to the poor.

redistribution of wealth and universal health care......
obviously you are a liberal. Or socialist.

[Extra Stout]

No liberal government policy on education, or universal health care, or any such thing is going to fix the problem with trying to educate our nation's children.

The poor in America basically don't form nuclear families anymore, and never learn parenting skills. It wouldn't matter if they could learn those skills, because only poor single parents of extraordinary character and determination can succeed in rearing children under those circumstances. There is a reason that the basic unit of human civilization for 6,000 years has been the family. Your civilization dies without it. Children do not grow up in any sort of environment conducive to education. Their childhoods are chaos. You could send them to the best schools in America, and they simply would fail. They never have a chance from their first day of school.

And it's not like government can introduce some program to change that. It's cultural. America is going to die.

[kontrolheat]

damn that sucks

[UV Ray]

Hell dan, I thought we wanted a bunch of un-educated poor
people to do the jobs that we wont do. That is what
Congress keeps telling us.

Dovetails perfectly with immigration reform.