< Alabama Admits Its High School Graduation Rate Was Inflated

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

Now a reminder that if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. High school graduation rates have been rising across the country and that progress has been most remarkable in Alabama. The state's graduation rate has risen 17 points since 2011. It's now 89 percent, far better than most other states.

Earlier this year, Alabama's then-superintendent of schools explained it this way - our school systems have been able to do unbelievable things. Well, his replacement now says it was unbelievable because it wasn't entirely true. Here's Dan Carsen of member station WBHM in Birmingham.

DAN CARSEN, BYLINE: Technically Alabama has the third-highest graduation rate in the nation, and at some point its meteoric rise attracted the attention of the U.S. Department of Education. Its inspector general's office is officially auditing the numbers. The state's doing its own review too, which makes this statement from Alabama's current superintendent, Michael Sentance, all the more remarkable.

MICHAEL SENTANCE: This is not one of those situations where it's just smoke. There is in fact fire.

CARSEN: Sentance took over just three months ago and now admits even before the release of those audit results that schools, quote, "misstated student records, resulting in diplomas that were not honestly earned." At a recent state school board meeting Sentance also said that Alabama's Education Department had not provided enough oversight.

SENTANCE: This is a black eye for the department. And it makes the education system here look bad and in some ways undeservedly so.

CARSEN: Several state school board members said they felt betrayed, including Stephanie Bell.

STEPHANIE BELL: The lie was promoted. We were entirely misled and that's what happened.

CARSEN: The question now is, how wrong is the graduation rate? It's hard to know until those audits are finished. And some changes legitimately boosted the rate. Late classes help kids juggle jobs and school. Better record keeping includes transfer graduates who'd formerly fallen off the rolls. But Bell also sees problems with programs meant to give kids second chances.

BELL: I would hear from parents. I'd hear from teachers. I'd hear from local principals about great changes. And in every case practically it was the result of the credit recovery program. The intent was to help but what it became was a Band-Aid just to get them out the door.

CARSEN: But some educators are OK with getting them out the door, even if diplomas don't mean what they used to.

TERRY ROLLER: The piece of paper gives you the opportunity to play the game.

CARSEN: Terry Roller is the new superintendent of Talladega City schools. He says he's more concerned with people being able to feed their families than with graduation standards that don't keep up with the economy anyway.

ROLLER: The industries that students are going to be working in in 10 to 15 years don't even exist. Who's to say that the standards that we have in place now are preparing them for that?

CARSEN: For Roller, it's also personal.

ROLLER: I didn't go the traditional route and now I'm the head of a school district, making decisions that change the lives of young people. If we can give them the diploma and get them out the door, they have a fair shot. They can go out and create jobs and spark growth and change communities. I did it.

CARSEN: The U.S. Department of Education might not see it that way. Its audit of Alabama's graduation data could lead to federal money being withheld. And then there's the state-led audit, which could trigger disciplinary action at the district level.

In the meantime, the state superintendent is reorganizing his department to strengthen oversight and to make sure the state's next graduation rate is unbelievable but not unbelievable. For NPR News, I'm Dan Carsen in Birmingham.

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