Graduation statistics: Caveat emptor

Jay P. Greene / November 29, 2001

As the pundits keep reminding us, honesty is often a casualty of war. Alas, it also appears to be a frequent casualty of K-12 education data.  Graduation statistics reported by federal, state, and local school districts are especially confusing, misleading, and implausibly optimistic.

Even the federal government's normally reliable National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is wont to inflict such wounds. That agency has just issued its annual report on dropouts and high school completion rates and again we find that it paints a blurred and falsely cheerful picture of how U.S. schools are performing.  According to Dropout Rates in the United States: 2000, 86.5% of young Americans are completing high school, up from 85.9% last year.

Would that it were so. By my calculations, however, U.S. high-school graduation rates are considerably lower.  (You can find my recent study at http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/cr_baeo.htm.) Using a transparent and easily checked method of comparing 8^th grade enrollments in 1993-4 with high-school diploma counts in spring 1998 (and adjusting for student population changes), I put the national graduation rate at about 74%.  The situation for minority students is far bleaker. I find that only 56% of African-American students and 54% of Latino students graduated from high school in 1998. This contrasts with NCES claims of 83.7% completion rates for African-American students and 64.1% for Latino students.

Why are the NCES numbers so much higher than mine?  The main reason is that the federal report includes among

» Continued

Graduation statistics: Caveat emptor

Can troubled urban school districts be saved by new leadership (or by the introduction of competition)?

November 29, 2001

Anyone who thinks that the solution to the problems of big-city school districts is putting the mayor in charge may be disheartened by a trio of articles in the most recent issue of Education Next. An essay by University of Maryland professor Jim Cibulka examines Washington, DC (where Mayor Anthony Williams won the ability to appoint four members of the nine member board in 2000) and Baltimore (where a long history of mayoral control over schools was ended in 1997 when the state stepped in to try to rehabilitate the dysfunctional system). It offers a fascinating look at the powers a mayor can marshal in an effort to reverse the fortunes of a big-city school district, as well as the limits of those powers.  In companion articles, Patrick Ryan looks at what happened when the mayor took over the school district in Cleveland and Paul Hill weighs the whole idea of searching for a white knight, preferably one from outside the education establishment, to rescue a struggling school district. Three other pieces in the same issue of the journal look at how public schools and districts in Michigan, Arizona, and Milwaukee have responded to the challenge of competition. While the authors disagree about how much public schools will improve in response to competition from charter schools or private school vouchers, they all acknowledge that the kinds of choice we have today will not be magic bullets that solve all the

» Continued

Can troubled urban school districts be saved by new leadership (or by the introduction of competition)?

Microsoft offers false hope to disadvantaged schools

November 29, 2001

Software giant Microsoft has proposed settling the myriad class-action lawsuits it faces by contributing a billion-plus dollars worth of software, computer equipment, technology training and cash to schools attended by low-income youngsters.  Yesterday's Wall Street Journal featured an op-ed by Checker Finn explaining why the software giant's offer - if approved by the plaintiffs and a federal judge - is unlikely to do much good for the kids who attend those schools.  Lack of technology is not the main problem these schools face, he writes, and the schools that succeed with low-income pupils don't generally surround them with electronics. Instead, "they engage knowledgeable and committed teachers to deliver a powerful, coherent, curriculum built on high standards of skills and knowledge."  While disadvantaged children may not benefit, Microsoft surely will; the company can raise its market share in schools and deepen their dependency on its products, even as the plaintiffs' attorneys walk home with fat fees for devising this scheme. "Microsoft Settlement Won't Benefit Schools," by Chester E. Finn Jr., The Wall Street Journal, November 28, 2001. (available to subscribers only)

» Continued

Microsoft offers false hope to disadvantaged schools

Principal-run schools embraced by Edmonton

November 29, 2001

Two years ago, a commission convened by the Education Commission of the States recommended a new model for school and district governance: instead of running all their schools directly from headquarters, districts would merely monitor the effectiveness of the (public) schools in their jurisdiction. Principals would run schools of different sorts and parents would make choices among these schools for their children. A short article by Ron Brandt in last month's Phi Delta Kappan embraces this charter-like approach to governance, pointing to the school system of Edmonton, Alberta as a place where the idea has been implemented with success.  Edmonton began experimenting with site-based budgeting in the 1970s. Today, individual principals in Edmonton decide how to use their funds most effectively, including what types of staff members to hire and what services to purchase from the central office.  Site-based management was embraced as a reform strategy in America in the 1980s but, according to Brandt, it was doomed by states and districts which confused site-based management with participatory management and required schools to use externally imposed decision-making structures. Brandt invites the reader to imagine a new kind of diversified school district in which curricular conformity is replaced by variety; schools are staffed by teachers and principals whose values and skills are in tune with the programs they offer, and they are held accountable by the district for accomplishing their goals; and parents moving to a new town will inquire about

» Continued

Principal-run schools embraced by Edmonton

Whole language reading instruction alive and kicking

November 29, 2001

While the "whole language" approach to teaching reading has been widely discredited, that didn't stop the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) from organizing a series of seminars called "A Day of Whole Language" during its annual convention in Baltimore last week. According to Leila Christenbury, the president-elect of the NCTE, "It's a hot-button word, a phrase that has become demonized, but we are still embracing it... We're standing firmly behind it." The opening speaker at the NCTE seminar warned that attacks on whole language were about corporations "seizing public education" and destroying "democracy and freedom" in public school classrooms.  Seminars were offered on topics like "nurturing the linguistic and artistic talents of urban children of color through the use of writing and visual art" during the daylong event.  Maryland schools superintendent Nancy Grasmick blasted the seminars: "So many of these children who have been identified for special education services because they can't read are a direct result of the whole language philosophy.  Trying to teach children to read without using phonics is a problem, and all of the research shows that. They've got to get on board."  For more see "Whole language teachers unabashed, hanging tough," by Howard Libit, The Baltimore Sun, November 19, 2001.For an overview of the differences between whole language reading instruction and phonics-based instruction, as well as an explanation of the persistence of whole language reading instruction, see "Whole Language Lives On:

» Continued

Whole language reading instruction alive and kicking

2000 NAEP Science Results

Chester E. Finn, Jr. / November 29, 2001

National Center for Education Statistics, November 2001

The latest news from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is not good: American schoolchildren still don't know much science. In grades 4 and 8, they knew as little in 2000 as in 1996. In grade 12, they knew less. Indeed, Education Secretary Rod Paige termed the high school seniors' faltering performance a "morally significant" decline. Fewer than one in five of them scores at or above NAEP's "proficient" level in science; barely half even attain the "basic" level. The scientific attainments of minority youths are bleaker still: in 12^th grade, only 22% of black students and 30% of Hispanics reach "basic." (Recall, too, Jay Greene's study of high school graduation rates (described above) showing that barely half of minority youngsters complete high school on schedule. Since NAEP tests only in-school 12^th graders, one can reasonably estimate that just 10-15% of black and Hispanic young people in the relevant age cohort are minimally functional in science.) Following the pattern we have seen in TIMSS, U.S. 4^th and 8^th grade science results are somewhat less grim, with roughly two thirds of those youngsters performing at or above the "basic" level and almost one-third attaining "proficient" (or better). But it's nothing to boast about. This report includes plenty more data, including results for the 40 states (and 5 other jurisdictions) that participated. The variation is considerable, ranging from a few states where 35% or more

» Continued

2000 NAEP Science Results

Communities at Work: A Guidebook of Strategic Interventions for Community Change

Kelly Scott / November 29, 2001

Public Education Network, November 2001

This guide presents the Public Education Network's "blueprint of engagement" for local education funds (LEFs), which are independent "nonprofit, community-based organizations who [sic] work to improve student achievement for all children attending public schools."  PEN identifies six interrelated ways that LEFs can intervene in their communities in pursuit of systemic change: community dialogue; constituency building; engaging practitioners; collaboration with districts; policy analysis; and legal strategies.  A chapter is devoted to each type of intervention and includes examples from PEN initiatives - ranging from training for school board members to an empowerment program for librarians - lessons learned, tools and resources.  Anyone seeking a window into the work of LEFs or advice on how to go about pushing the levers of change in a community may want to take a look.  See http://www.publiceducation.org/interventions or order a copy of the guide from the Public Education Network, 601 13^th Street, NW, Suite 900 N, Washington, DC 20005; 202-628-7460.

» Continued

Communities at Work: A Guidebook of Strategic Interventions for Community Change

Families, Freedom and Education: Why School Choice Makes Sense

Chester E. Finn, Jr. / November 29, 2001

Jennifer Buckingham, Centre for Independent Studies, 2001

In this 100-page book, Jennifer Buckingham, a policy analyst with the Australia-based Centre for Independent Studies, argues that Australia should move to a tax-credit approach as the mechanism by which to pay for school choice. She offers familiar arguments for a choice-based system (freedom, fairness, better schools, etc.) rather than a government monopoly. She notes that Australia's current arrangements for subsidizing private schools are inadequate and politically unstable. She contends that charter schools are a "stop-gap" because they're not truly independent; that vouchers make private schools vulnerable to excessive government regulation; and that - following the reasoning of some American libertarians - tax credits will bring the most advantages and fewest risks. She then sets forth a number of variants on the tax-credit theme (including the refundable kind that maximizes its value to low-income families) and explains the pros and cons of each. If you'd like to have a look, the ISBN is 1864320605. You can order it for A$21.90 from the Centre, which is most easily accessed via the Internet at http://www.cis.org.au.

» Continued

Families, Freedom and Education: Why School Choice Makes Sense

Parents and Schools: The 150-year Struggle for Control in American Education

Chester E. Finn, Jr. / November 29, 2001

William W. Cutler III, 2000

This 290-page monograph by Temple University education historian William W. Cutler III provides a history of the tug-of-war between parents and educators for dominance in U.S. K-12 education. It turns out to be quite an interesting saga, and Cutler does not shy from drawing contemporary lessons from it. "A cycle of failure will repeat," he predicts, "if the home and the school continue to follow their historical paths. What began as an adversarial relationship has come full circle; too often parents and teachers are ready to believe the worst about each other today. Breaking the cycle begins with the knowledge that families and schools are farther apart than ever before...." The ISBN is 0226132161. (The book came out in 2000, though we just discovered it.) The publisher is The University of Chicago Press, which can be found electronically at http://www.press.uchicago.edu and in reality at 5801 South Ellis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637.

» Continued

Parents and Schools: The 150-year Struggle for Control in American Education

Tear Down This Wall: The Case for a Radical Overhaul of Teacher Certification

Marci Kanstoroom, Ph.D. / November 29, 2001

Frederick M. Hess, Progressive Policy Institute, November 2001

America needs more and better teachers and many education reformers are concerned that our existing system of teacher certification is contributing to the problem. How?  By forcing aspiring teachers to jump through hoops and hurdles that take time and money but do little to ensure that those who make it through are qualified to teach. In this paper, released a few days ago by the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI), U. Va. Professor Rick Hess argues that teacher certification is flawed but that so are the remedies proposed by most reformers: either making certification tougher or abolishing certification altogether.  Hess begins by rebutting three assumptions that are made by supporters of the existing approach to certification: that the training one receives while getting certified is so important that uncertified people cannot perform adequately, that certification weeds out unsuitable candidates, and that the existence of certification makes teaching more "professional."  He argues that certification cannot be justified unless there are clear standards by which teachers can demonstrate their competence, but notes that this is not true of education today. Instead, Hess proposes what he calls a competitive model of teacher certification, in which teaching candidates who have a college degree, and who can pass a test of subject knowledge and a criminal background check should be allowed to teach and all other regulations limiting entry into the profession are jettisoned. Unlike some who have argued

» Continued

Tear Down This Wall: The Case for a Radical Overhaul of Teacher Certification