NPR: States Report False Graduation Rates

States Report False Graduation Rates

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Many states keep two sets of records when it comes to reporting graduation rates to the federal government: real and fake.

The New York Times reports that many states send inflated graduation rates to the federal government.

Mississippi takes the cake. They reported an 87 percent graduation rate, while the federal Department of Education estimates their graduation rate to be 63.3 percent.

In a related story:

The Bush administration is easing the "No Child Left Behind" law, saying that the initiative is labeling too many schools as failing.

In six years it has identified 9,000 of the nation's 90,000 public schools as "in need of improvement," the law's term for failing, and experts predict that those numbers could multiply in coming years.
The rising number of failing schools is overwhelming states' capacities to turn them around, and states have complained that the law imposes the same set of sanctions, which can escalate to a school's closing, on the nation's worst schools as well as those doing a reasonable job despite some problems.

To the parents: How are your children's schools? Have you noticed any improvements because of the "No Child Left Behind" law?

To the teachers: How has "No Child Left Behind" affected your school? Is the law bringing your school up to speed, or is it creating an unneeded burden?

Drew Tewksbury

Tags: education | no child left behind law

11:57 AM ET | 03-20-2008 | permalink

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As a third year teacher in the Bronx, I have to say something about this law and how it affects me and my kids, students. Each year we spend a lot of our learning time preparing for a single test. the children become bored and lack the desire to learn. The teachers become bored and the want to teach quickly wanes.
I have watched my students cry prior and after a test, because they are so worried about passing. They have also learned that the score on the test is more important and carries more weight than all their work pre and post test. this makes my job of inspiring children to love learning all the more difficult.
I agree that we need some sort of measure, but this is certainly not it. Next year we will begin preparing our students on the art of test taking in second grade! This is not the way to get ahead!!
Longing to inspire a love for learning,
A fifth grade teacher in the Bronx

Sent by Dara D | 9:05 PM ET | 03-20-2008

Well, here is corruption and atypical denial hard at work. Why would one ease the laws of No Child Left Behind when the statistics come it pointing out the obvious failing schools not meeting the standard should one go the other way and sanction the schools not meeting the requirement and then toughen the standard? They waste far too much in taxpayer dollars on doling out funds based on attendance numbers or test scores and maintain the progency is left ever far behind as the Bronx teacher above as pointed out.

Maybe then need to adopt the British standard system for K-9th grade levels to get them back on track but also note that different kids have different ways of learning and being interested.

Sent by K MJUMBE | 12:34 AM ET | 03-21-2008

if i could only type..errantum: the above should have read:

"...not meeting the standard. Should one not go the other way..."

"They waste far too much in taxpayer dollars on doling out funds....and meanwhile, the progency...

"Maybe, they need to adopt the British standard..."

These changes make for a better reading of the original intent.

Sent by K MJUMBE | 12:44 PM ET | 03-21-2008

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