2012 conventions 2012 election 2013 session arts arts and culture author ballot measures basketball bomb books boy scouts budget bullying business charlie hales children clackamas climate change coal college courts crime culture culture club democrats drugs economy education environment family film fluoride food gay rights guns handguns health health care health insurance high school history housing immigration internet kitzhaber law legislature lgbt literary arts living marijuana marriage media medicine mental health military minor parties mohamed mohamud movies music native americans news newspaper obama olympics oregon our town parenting pers photography police politcs politics port portland portland business journal president prevention public safety religion republicans rnc romney rural salem sam adams sandy hook schools science shooting sports suicide supreme court taxes technology terrorism theater third parties transportation union university of oregon washington wildfire women

These data are not new.  When using the method of comparing the number of 19 yr olds and the number of "normal" diplomas, the graduation rate in the US peaked in the mid 1970s at around 72% and has been more or less flat since then.

These new "disturbing" numbers surface from time to time when the edcational establisment's always better and better numbers (the fox guarding the hen house) are pushed aside and simple demograghics are used.

Sometime in the next decade or so there will be no majority ethnic population in US high schools. Given that historically, black and hispanic students have lower graduation rates, in the absence of some miracle, HS graduation rates will continue to decline as the ethnic mix shifts.

posted 2 years, 12 months ago
view in context