Detroit High Scool Graduation rate is <25%

[jt1]

Hud if you're speaking about me be specific. The only thing I see ignorant is a city with only a 25% graduation rate- you can't spin those numbers.

He isn't spinning the numbers. He is pointing out that you don't understand what the numbers represent. I'll calrify for you.

This statistic indicates that only 25% of kids that start in DPS [[or are in DPS in a certain grade) graduate from DPS. Thsi does not indicate that only 25% of kids in Detroit graduate. factors that decrease the number of children that graduate from DPS:

1. Families leaves the city and the child finishes at another district
2. Family is not happy with DPS [[rightfully so) and enrolls their child in a religious or charter school.
3. Family is not happy with DPS and sends their child to a school fo choice district outside of the ctiy
4. Family homeschools [[I suspect this is a very, very insignificant number)
5. Child drops out and does not graduate from DPS.

In essences you are assuming that the 75% is strictly from number 5 when the 75% is actually 1-5.

PS - Being on a schoolboard does not automatically qualify you as having any expertise in education. If school boards are the same in Texas as they are here they are nothing more than a glorified popularity contest. It is unfortuante that school boards often consist of people that have no idea how to educate a child or run a school district.

[Ocean2026]

Here we set policy and the superintendent implements it. Our graduation rate takes into account transfers- Detroit's methodology is poor as in Texas it doesn't count as a dropout if someone transfers to another school- that's foolish and makes the numbers meaningless. You are correct I was ignorant of Detroit's methodology and it should be improved. You are yourself ignorant if you assume that i know nothing about education. I ran against the president of our board over specific issues. He is from here [[i am not) he was a Republican in a 70% GOP district. He was popular - I had specific issues - such as low scores and admin waste.

Being on message board doesn't qualify you for anything at all.

[hudkina]

I don't know anything about you other than your misinterpretation of the data, and yes it was an ignorant remark, that I clearly stated would pop up in this thread. That's all that I spoke of because I can't assume anything otherwise. Well, I can assume that you didn't fully read the entire thread before posting, as I don't know how you would have otherwise made that remark.

BTW, there's a #6: Those that take an extra year or two to graduate or go on to get their GED despite not graduating. A possible #7 [[which would likely be the most statistically insignificant) would be those who may have died before graduation.

[Ocean2026]

Someone not from Detroit isn't expected to understand the foolish way they do the methodology. Perhaps the original poster if he/she is from Detroit should have written a better headline.

[hudkina]

It's up to you to determine the accuracy of the stuff you read. You can't take everything you see on the internet at face value.

[DetroitTeacher]

I still have students on my attendance sheets that are no longer DPS students. I KNOW that they tranferred to another district [[some transferred last year!). I still have to mark those students absent. If DPS can't even get its records straight about who is still attending DPS then how can the statistics be correct? DPS is still being held accountable for those kids [[because they are still "enrolled" in DPS), even though they have moved out of district or transferred to a charter. I try to correct the situation by alerting those who can take the kids out of DPS rolls, but to no avail. They keep popping up on my attendance. I also have kids pop up on my grade sheets at the end of term and I've never even seen these kids' names before! Sloppy record keeping is to blame for the dismal stats.

[rjlj]

DPS has a low graduation rate because it doesn't give a shit about students.

http://www.detnews.com/article/20090...ther-DPS-waste


"On his list of questions he hopes to get answered are:
• Why the property where the new Cass Tech sits was "flipped five times" on the day DPS eventually bought it.
• Why the new Cass Tech, which was so bungled the football field is too small to be used, cost $135 million while similar facilities have been built for less than half that amount.
• Why DPS moved out of a building it owned and opted to spend more than $34 million for office space in New Center.
• Why in another instance, the district paid $11 million for a piece of a parcel that the seller had bought for just $2 million.
"We will find answers," Bobb said. "

[masterblaster]

Those tens of thousands of parents who have taken their children out of the DPS over the past decade,

Are the same people who have the power to improve the DPS, since its the parents who elect the school board and can hold the school board directly accountable for the board's significant role in creating and maintaining a successful school district.

[James]

Instead of arguing with each other about this, lets have a productive conversation. The DPS has issues, I don't think anyone disagrees with this point. What can be done to better the district? What is the root of the issue, is it funding or what? and who are the people who can make these positive changes?

[hudkina]

The root of the issue is a culture that doesn't value education.