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Dropping Out in Dallas

Tue Apr 01, 2008 at 11:46:14 AM

The nonprofit America's Promise Alliance of which Colin Powell is the founding chair, this morning released a report titled Cities in Crisis: A Special Analytic Report on High School Graduation, which disputes the notion that 85 percent of all high school students get their diplomas. Says the study, it's more like 70 percent -- though in Dallas, it's far, far below that figure. Indeed, of the 50 major metropolitan areas included in the study, Dallas ranks 44th, with a graduation rate of 44.4 percent -- for the 2003-2004 school year, at least. But, notes the study, there are "striking differences between schools situated in urban and suburban environments." --Robert Wilonsky

5 Comments:

SharonBoyd says:

Another reason to vote NO on DISD May bond joke. This Supt and the Board of Trustees do not know what they are doing or how to fix the mess.

The bond election is a make work project with lots of lucrative construction projects. We need some people running DISD who care about educating and graduating Dallas kids. All we've got are people trying to make sure their buddies get a piece of the construction pie.

religion of bacon says:

Well, let's see. We have one subculture that says that education is for losers, and that you should aspire to be a sports god, a rapper, or a gang member, and another subculture that says that learning English is optional. These subcultures are heavily represented in urban public schools, and not so much in suburban and private schools. Draw your own conclusions...

So clearly, the solution to the problem is (a) throw more money at it and (b) stop standardized testing, so we can go back to pretending that students are doing great.

East Dallas Eccentric says:

Sharon they are going to need all the classroom space proposed in the bond issue and much more if the dropout rate improves.

If you have kids or are involved at individual schools on any kind of regular basis, you will see the need.

Farinata X says:

I'd like to know who funded this report before I swallow its conclusions whole-hog. I'm not saying it's wrong. I'd just like to know the ideological position of those who paid for it. Besides, Colin "Weapons of Mass Destruction" Powell doesn't have a whole lot of credibility.

Bill and Melinda Gates, actually. Go, Ursuline?

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