Advancement Project

June 23, 2010

Graduation by the Numbers

An article in the June 11, 2010 issue of the Washington Examiner reported that D.C suburban high schools exhibit some of the highest graduation rates in comparison to the nation’s top 50 largest school districts. The statistics are based on an analysis by Education Week magazine that used the most recent data from 2007. The results were published in “Diplomas Count 2010: Graduation by the Numbers”. According to the report, Montgomery County has the highest national graduation rate among the 50 districts, with 83.1 percent of students graduating in 2007. Fairfax County comes in at a close second with a graduation rate of 82.5 percent. However, just adjacent to Montgomery County, Prince George’s County schools report a graduation rate of 59.3 percent; almost 10 percent below the national average. Baltimore was among the bottom five districts with a graduation rate of 43.4 percent.

Christopher B. Swanson, vice president of research and development for Editorial Projects at Education Weekly, states a well know but disheartening fact

“the effects of this graduation crisis fall disproportionately on the nation’s most vulnerable youths and communities. A majority of nongraduates are members of historically disadvantaged minorities and other educationally underserved groups. They are more likely to attend school in large, urban districts. And they come disproportionately from communities challenged by severe poverty and economic hardship.”

Graduation rates from high school for students of color and low-income students are tragically low. Students who do graduate and are able to go on to college find that the K-12 education they received did not adequately prepare them for college course work. This lack of preparation reflects structural and institutional barriers that many students face from their first day in kindergarten all the way to their senior year in high school. Among these obstacles are academic tracking of Black and Latino students into low-level classes; the failure to provide resources equitably (e.g., books, computers, guidance counselors); the use of high-stakes testing to narrow and distort curricula and turn students off from learning; the failure to provide the academic support and information necessary to prepare students for higher education; discriminatory discipline policies; and the pairing of the neediest students with inexperienced and ineffective teachers. This is the state of public education for many children of color and low-income children in America.

Through Advancement Project’s Quality Education program we are working to identify and eliminate these barriers to educational achievement. By partnering with community–based organizations we hope to build multi-racial campaigns focused on increasing the number of low-income students and students of color who receive high-quality K-12 educations.

For example, Advancement Project has been working with the parents and youth of Tenants and Workers United in Alexandria to advocate for improved educational opportunities for low income children and children of color since 2005. Our joint report documenting our research findings, Obstacles to Opportunity: Alexandria, Virginia Students Speak Out, found that Alexandria City Public Schools had effectively created a two-track school system: one for a small number of predominately White students who are actively prepared from an early age for college and successful careers; and the other for the majority of students of color who are not expected to excel and encounter substantial obstacles to achieving their goals. One of the key recommendations offered in the report is a “Personalized Educational Action Plan (PEAP),” under which every student would have an individualized course of study to meet his or her goals. These plans would: provide individualized attention to students, ensure all students have access to high-level academic opportunities, create an improved academic “safety net” for struggling students, and improve collaboration among students, staff, and parents.

As of Spring 2009, the district has agreed to implement all of the major elements of our PEAP plan. In addition, Tenants and Workers United negotiated a formal partnership agreement with the district to work on the implementation of the new plans and to ensure the community voice is heard throughout the process.

Although the ‘opportunity gaps’ in this country continue to be troublesome, school districts must meet the challenge and structure academic offerings that create a culture of being more responsive to student needs, so they will be prepared to succeed.

Read the entire article here: D.C. burbs lead nation in grad rate