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Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Ed Week: Graduation Rates Still Bad
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Education Week is scheduled to release its second annual report on the state of the nation’s high school graduation rates this morning.
I didn’t have time to read all the embargoed material before I wrote this, so let me know if you find something interesting in the reports.
I was surprised to learn this year that Georgia’s current graduation requirements stack up surprisingly well nationally. Compared to the average state, Georgia requires not only more credits to graduate, but also more credits in the core subjects of math, English, science and social studies.
That’s pretty good considering that the State Board of Education is getting ready to adopt even tougher standards for a high school diploma.
For a moment I thought maybe students weren’t as bad off in Georgia as everyone thinks they are. Of course, then I looked at the graduation rates.
UPDATE: Dana Tofig, spokesman for the State Department of Education, had some interesting comments about Education Week’s report. He told AJC education reporter Chris Reinolds that the state is planning to revise the way it calculates graduation rates to provide a more accurate picture.
But, he added: “We recognize no matter how you calculate Georgia’s graduation rate, it is too low.” Hmmm, I wonder what Gov. Sonny Perdue, who touted the state’s graduation rate during his re-election campaign, would have to say about that?
