State, City Report Uptick in Graduation Rates

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun

The percentage of New York City students who graduate high school in four years has been rising steadily since Mayor Bloomberg took control of the public schools in 2002, according to figures state and city school officials reported yesterday.

The state reported that the city’s high school graduation rate rose to 52% for the class of 2007 from 50% for the class of 2006 and 46% for the class of 2005.

The statewide graduation rate is also at a peak of 69% for the class of 2007, up from 66% for the class of 2005, the state reported.

Students who do not graduate either take an extra fifth or sixth year of high school to earn a diploma or drop out.

The dropout rate in New York City is 14.7%, down very slightly from 15% for the students who should have graduated in 2006.

Graduation rates for this year’s class of 2008 have not yet been published, but state officials said they hope it will come faster than the 2007 figures, which are being published more than a year after the commencement exercises they represent.

Both the city and state’s 2007 graduation rates rose across many measures, with all racial, ethnic, and gender groups showing improvements, although white and Asian students still outperform black and Hispanic students, and more females graduate than males.

Students with disabilities showed no improvements; their statewide graduation rate was stuck at 39%. The graduation rate of students who are not native English speakers declined statewide, falling to 25%. The New York City figure, 23.5%, was a slight improvement from 2006 but was still lower than the 2005 figure.

City school officials and Mr. Bloomberg pointed out the problem areas but described the overall picture as bright.

The mayor framed his announcement of the graduation figures as a defense of mayoral control, a policy the state Legislature put into law in 2002 but which comes up for reauthorization next year.

He said the improvements in the graduation rate would not have occurred were it not for the bold policies that mayoral control enabled his schools chancellor, Joel Klein, to enact.

The mayor’s team transported its own plasma screen to the Department of Education’s headquarters from City Hall to display the graduation figures in colorful charts.

Pointing to one, Mr. Bloomberg said: “If that chart isn’t enough to get them to approve it, then the parents of the kids in school ought to go man the barricades.”

Others greeted the results more skeptically.

The president of the teachers union, Randi Weingarten, said the gains are good news but that the debate on mayoral control is not over.

The public advocate, Betsy Gotbaum, pointed out that even with gains, there are dark spots, such as the fact that fewer than half of black and Hispanic students graduate on time.

An education professor at Brooklyn College, David Bloomfield, said the gains in graduation rates may be artificially inflated by principals trying to raise their figures, which are tied to prizes such as higher report card grades and salary bonuses.

Mr. Bloomfield named two practices that he called “gimmicks”: local diplomas, which are being phased out by the state but now allow students to graduate with lower scores on Regents exams, and credit recovery programs, which allow students to earn credits from classes they failed by completing last-minute makeup work.

Asked about such concerns at the press conference yesterday, Mr. Bloomberg snapped at a reporter. “I’m sort of speechless,” he said. “Is there anything good enough to just write the story?”

The state’s education commissioner, Richard Mills, yesterday said he and Mr. Klein are instructing their staffs to study the credit recovery system after holding a meeting to discuss it last week.


The New York Sun

© 2024 The New York Sun Company, LLC. All rights reserved.

Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The material on this site is protected by copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used.

The New York Sun

Sign in or  Create a free account

By continuing you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use