Climate Fortuna

NATIONAL STUDY SHOWS MOST HIGH SCHOOLS RANK LOW IN GRADUATING MINORITIES

CHICAGO--A new study reveals that there's a difference of more than 20 percent between white and minority students that graduate on time.

The report from the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research released today says, 56 percent of African Americans and only 54 percent of Latinos graduated nationwide in the class of 1998. On the other hand, the white students graduation rate was 78 percent.

The study shows the country's graduation rate for this class was 71 percent contradicting the National Center for Education Statistics that reports a high school completion rate of 86 percent for the same year. This happens because the NCES counts people getting a GED as high school graduates, and this study doesn't because as it is explained in its report, "the purpose... is to calculate and report reliable and straightforward public high school graduation rates...[and] recipients of GED's are not graduates of any high school"
The study conducted by Jay P. Green presents student rates in categories like ethnicity, states, and school districts. Georgia had a 54 percent graduation rate the lowest of the 51 states. Ninety-three was the highest general percentage, and it belongs to Iowa.

Illinois appears in position 15 with a 78 percent general graduation rate, but our state drops down to position 20, when ranked by minorities, with less than 60 percent of African-American and Latino students graduating.

Percentages continue decreasing as we look at the City of Chicago School District 299, which has an overall low rating with less than half of the expected high school students graduating.
Green calculated graduating rates by identifying the 8th grade public school enrollment of 1993, and collecting information on the number of diplomas awarded in 1998. He also made adjustments for possible students moving in our out of an area.

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This is a Journalism Assignment
The facts are true, but the study was released in 2001.
I reported that it happened today to make it newsworthy as requested.
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posted by Cielo Azul @ 12:53 AM