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WakeEd
The WakeEd blog is devoted to discussing and answering questions about the major issues facing the Wake County school system: the reassignment of thousands of students, the conversion of traditional-calendar schools to a year-round schedule, the district's response to growth and the school construction program.
WakeEd is maintained by The News & Observer's Wake schools reporter, T. Keung Hui. While Keung posts information and analysis on the issues, keep us posted on your suggestions, questions, tips and what you're doing to cope with the changes in Wake's schools.
New Wake graduation data
Amid all the No Child Left Behind news, Wake has also released its latest high school graduation data.
Based on freshmen who entered high school in 2004, 78.8 percent graduated on time this past school year. That's down slightly from the prior four-year graduadtion rate of 79.3 percent.
The new statewide data isn't out yet but Wake usually has a higher percentage. Last year, the state's graduation rate was 69.5 percent.
School districts are required to keep track of graduation data as part of NCLB. Go here for Wake's school-by-school results.
T. Keung Hui
T. Keung Hui covers Wake schools.
Comments
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/s
Wed, 07/23/2008 - 17:35 — bigwinniehttp://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=6282933
WAKE COUNTY (WTVD) -- New information released regarding who is graduating and who is not from Wake County schools.
The graduation gap among some ethnic groups is so large; one school board member calls it terrible.
The numbers are not good enough. That's the word from wake schools when it comes to some graduation rates.
Approximately 88 percent of white students and 87 percent of Asian students graduate in four years, compared to 65 percent of African-American students and 55 percent of Latino students.
"The fact is that for every child who doesn't graduate on time, something's broken," Assistant Superintendent David Holdzkom said. "The good news is that the gap can be closed, and we hope eliminated, not by bringing both ends toward the middle but by keeping the ceiling constant and bringing the floor up."
"Hopefully it's a wake-up call," school board member Ron Margiotta added.
Margiotta calls the graduation gap terrible and says it will take a collective effort to improve.
"We need help from the communities. It's not just a school system responsibility, it's a parental, home responsibility," Margiotta said.
The school system is working on the gap.
Holdzkom says a comprehensive study is being done, looking at all students who didn't graduate on time this past year.
They're trying to find certain trends among those students and to then identify future students who might be headed down the same path, with the hope teachers and administrators will be able to intervene.
"We're going to pretty much have to take one youngster, each youngster at a time," Holdzkom said.
The graduation gap was more or less the same last year.
Wake County points out the data is based on students graduating in four years.
The percentage who graduate in five years is significantly higher for both African American and Latino students.
Last sentence is encouraging
Thu, 07/24/2008 - 13:27 — Bob_SconceBased on the difference between the front and the end of this article, it seems that African-American Students and Latino students ARE NOT dropping out, at least not as much. Instead, they're being held back in high school, but still going on to graduation.
That's a good thing -- it means that these kids are staying the course when they hit a rough spot.
Would it be better if they never needed to be held back? Sure. But, it's far better to be held back and eventually graduate than it is to be held back and then drop out.
I would agree, graduating
Thu, 07/24/2008 - 15:13 — bigwinnieI would agree, graduating in 5 years instead of 4 is still graduating.
interventions at younger grades, meddle schools etc would be even better, 6th grade centers, 9th grade centers...different innovative ways of doing things..
The following article
Tue, 07/22/2008 - 15:14 — bigwinnieThe following article appeared in the NY Times this past Sunday. Wake County is among the various school districts discussed.
http://www.nytimes. com/2008/ 07/20/magazine/ 20integration- t.html?pagewante d=1&_r=1&ref=magazine
Bob, you have inadvertently
Tue, 07/22/2008 - 07:32 — Anonymous (not verified)Bob, you have inadvertently made the case for diversity bussing. What would be the effect of segregating all the population most likely to drop out? What kind of peer pressure would exist?
Of course, nobody wants his child to have to serve as a good example---- but life is like that! As much as we might like to isolate ourselves with others who share our values, the school district has a moral obligation to do its best for all children, not just the "good" ones.
The district's moral obligation
Tue, 07/22/2008 - 12:12 — fiestamomAnon, your last sentence: " the school district has a moral obligation to do its best for all children, not just the "good" ones." - How does forcing F&R kids to sit on the bus for 1 hour each way, far away from their parent's home do the "best" for these children?
Whose morals anyway?
Please exclude me from your "we."
Tue, 07/22/2008 - 10:41 — Dadof3What's an example of this, where the state doesn't force it's hand?
Speak for yourself. I count on my friends to disagree with me, whether culturally, intellectually, politically, religiously, or what have you. I challenge my children to seek the same. Yet, at the same time, I find no value in the state forcing a facsimile of such an environment. In fact, look at Wake Co. We fail miserably at it, awards be damned.
I've noticed more glib use of the word "moral." Recall, that morality is a set of principals and that set of principals is not inherently limited. A moral satanist and a moral Buddhist will have two unique if opposing viewpoints. They're being "moral" means they stay close to their code in practice, not that both are universally 'good,' whatever that means. (OT alert: move along)
So who's morality do we expect the state to uphold?
Pfft...
Tue, 07/22/2008 - 09:59 — Bob_SconceYour last sentence hides a world of insight -- "nobody wants his child to have to serve as a good example." You realize, of course, that the families who the school district is trying to use as good examples are the very ones who are likely to bolt for private schools if the district starts doing so? The district cannot afford to lose the support of these families.
It's more than that, though, the"diversity" idea is based on the idea that affluent parents are more involved in the schools, donate more to the PTA, etc.... But, once the district starts using them as resources to be doled out at the administration's whim, their involvement shifts from focusing on the school to focusing on their individual child. Nobody likes to be used.
and if rates are dropping,
Tue, 07/22/2008 - 09:47 — Anonymous (not verified)and if rates are dropping, it's becoming obvious that they are doing the "best" for NO one.
the only thing worse than the kid's performance is.....
Mon, 07/21/2008 - 20:10 — Anonymous (not verified)the only thing worse than the kids performance is the bad performance, arrogant decisions, and poor judgement exhibited by the Wake Superintendant(s) and the Wake Board of Education old-timers.
THEY FLUNK the last 4 years and even for the last decade.
PS: They have had enough MONEY all along - - they just piss it away on rediculous reassignements and chris cross wastefull excessive busing. The could have balanced this year's budget with a simple busing reduction....
But, but, but......
Mon, 07/21/2008 - 18:42 — WuptdoBased on the recommendations by the North Carolina High School Sport Authority, block scheduling was going to be the "cure-all" for graduation rates. It is now going into its fourth year, and the number of down. What about the numbers for the all important "student athlete ?" Up or down, or do we based that data on scholarships to college?
You get what you elect!!
Abysmal
Mon, 07/21/2008 - 17:34 — Bob_SconceI don't like the idea of my kids going to a school where 1/6th of their classmates think that dropping out is a reasonable thing to do -- I just don't want that being part of their culture. In my high school, maybe 5% dropped out, and those kids were considered real losers. I want that stigma attached to dropping out because it helps keep all the other kids from seeing it as an alternative. Peer pressure can be a good thing when it keeps you from doing something idiotic.
If 1/6 - 1/5 of the kids are dropping out, is it still something only for losers, or does it somehow become a real alternative?
Journey to Excellence?
Mon, 07/21/2008 - 16:01 — Kent Misegades (not verified)More evidence that any claims of progress being made in our government schools is little more than smoke and mirrors. Perhaps Mr. McNeal and Oxholm will rethink the release of their fiction novel "A School District's Journey to Excellence?" Tragic for the children; irresponsible to taxpayers for all the money we're forced to flush into a failed system. The only solution is vouchers/education tax credits to provide free market alternatives, which are guaranteed to be better and cheaper.