Feds release new high school grad data using common yardstick; Georgia’s rate is 67 percent, putting us among bottom three.
Remember when Georgia used to say “Thank God for Mississippi and Alabama”?
With the release of new national high school graduation rates today, Georgia is now extending its thanks to Nevada and New Mexico, the only two states with lower graduation rates than Georgia.
Georgia has a 67 percent overall high school graduation rate, according to data released today by the U.S. Department of Education under a new nationwide measurement formula.
For the first time ever, the cohort method will allow apples to apples comparisons since every state is using it to calculate how many of their seniors graduate in four years.
And those apples aren’t pretty for Georgia, which is among the bottom three.
Among states, only New Mexico, 63 percent, and Nevada, 62 percent, posted lower rates. (Also below Georgia were Washington, D.C., 59 percent, and the Bureau of Indian Education, 61 percent.)
Prior to the cohort method being adopted, states used a hodgepodge of methods — and a bit of voodoo math – to calculate their grad rates, often favoring formulas that provided too glowing a picture of how many kids actually received diplomas in four years. Georgia was among them, touting a grad rate of 80 percent.
Georgia does not fare well compared to its Southern neighbors. For example, Alabama has a 72 percent grad rate, while Mississippi has a 75 percent rate and Louisiana has a 71 percent rate.
South Carolina has a 74 percent rate, and North Carolina has a 78 percent grad rate. Tennessee has an 86 percent rate, which puts it among the top performers in the country. Virginia has an 82 percent rate.
Here is a link to the list of states.
What hurts Georgia’s ranking is its acute failure to graduate students with disabilities and students with limited English. Only three out of 10 students in those two categories graduates, putting us well behind most of the nation.
If I were DOE, I would be looking for explanations for why Georgia does so poorly with these kids. Yes, they are among the most challenging students to educate, but other states are doing far better with them, so there must be strategies we ought to consider.
Here are the Georgia grad rates broken down by demographics:
Asians: 79 percent
Black students: 60 percent
Hispanic: 58 percent
Whites: 76 percent
Students with disabilities: 30 percent
Limited English: 32 percent
Economically disadvantaged: 59 percent
According to US DOE:
The U.S. Department of Education released data today detailing state four-year high school graduation rates in 2010-11 – the first year for which all states used a common, rigorous measure. The varying methods formerly used by states to report graduation rates made comparisons between states unreliable, while the new, common metric can be used by states, districts and schools to promote greater accountability and to develop strategies that will reduce dropout rates and increase graduation rates in schools nationwide.
The new, uniform rate calculation is not comparable in absolute terms to previously reported rates. Therefore, while 26 states reported lower graduation rates and 24 states reported unchanged or increased rates under the new metric, these changes should not be viewed as measures of progress but rather as a more accurate snapshot.
“By using this new measure, states will be more honest in holding schools accountable and ensuring that students succeed,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “Ultimately, these data will help states target support to ensure more students graduate on time, college and career ready.”
The transition to a common, adjusted four-year cohort graduation rate reflects states’ efforts to create greater uniformity and transparency in reporting high school graduation data, and it meets the requirements of October 2008 federal regulations. A key goal of these regulations was to develop a graduation rate that provides parents, educators and community members with better information on their school’s progress while allowing for meaningful comparisons of graduation rates across states and school districts. The new graduation rate measurement also accurately accounts for students who drop out or who do not earn a regular high school diploma.
In 2011, states began individually reporting 2010-11 high school graduation rates, but this is the first time the Department has compiled these rates in one public document. These 2010-11 graduation rates are preliminary, state-reported data, and the Department plans to release final rates in the coming months. Beginning with data for the 2011-12 school year, graduation rates calculated using this new method will become a key element of state accountability systems, including for states that have been approved for ESEA flexibility.
–From Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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380 comments Add your comment
A Quiet Observer
November 27th, 2012
1:50 pm
A read through these blog comments is certainly a great education in the misunderstanding and misuse of statistics. I’ve also learned a great deal about the personal prejudices of many posters. Please consider the following observations.
First, participation in athletics is healthy and a part of a real education. The ancient Greeks believed in educating the mind, body, and soul. We would do well to actually follow that philosophy. A child learns critical life skills from participation in organized sports that are a complement to and not a competition with the academic skills learned in the classroom. Playing the “blame game” with athletics or any other straw man does nothing to solve for the problem.
Second, the statistic as it has been presented renders it meaningless for several reasons. Since states do not have a uniform set of graduation requirements, there is no valid comparison of graduation rates. That alone renders any discussion of the information as a matter of competition between states pointless. Besides, I would hope the actual education of our future generations would be far more important than generating a number.
Third, the statistic tells us nothing. To illustrate, imagine you are an owner of a restaurant. You have experienced a 33% decrease in sales over the past month. Using industry best practices to increase sales, you evaluate all of your employees, fire and replace the worst ones. You quadruple your advertising budget. You redecorate the interior of the restaurant and hire a consultant to update the menu. After all of that, you would expect your sales to increase…except the reason your business is down is that the state DOT closed the Interstate exit to your town. If there is no investigation as to why the Georgia graduation rate is calculated at 67%, no solution is possible.
The only way that this number can have any meaning is to answer any or all of the following; Are Georgia’s graduation requirements too stringent? Are students entering high school unprepared to succeed? Do all students need or more importantly want to be prepared for an academic college experience? How many of those dropouts earn a GED and have a job? How many special education students fail to graduate on our single diploma system and why? Why are Hispanic children not graduating and what supports do they need to graduate? How many students are dropping out for spurious reasons? How many students are dropping out for economic reasons? How many students are dropping out due to drugs or criminal activity? How many students dropout from learning burnout?
Until there is a thorough investigation into discovering why each and every student in Georgia failed to walk across the stage to receive a diploma in a four year timespan, there can be no meaningful discussion.
shaking my head
November 27th, 2012
2:18 pm
@Pete ” In too many cases, the parents of the kids who contribute to this woeful statistic are unwilling or unable to take the steps necessary to get their children into an alternative environment that would give the student an advantage.”
Please speak up about these seemingly easy “steps” that one should take. Move to East Cobb? Charter Schools? HB251 transfer?
Mountain Man
November 27th, 2012
2:37 pm
“In too many cases, the parents of the kids who contribute to this woeful statistic are unwilling or unable to take the steps necessary to get their children into an alternative environment that would give the student an advantage.”
Please speak up about these seemingly easy “steps” that one should take. Move to East Cobb? Charter Schools? HB251 transfer?”
How about reading to your child every night and doing homework with them (if they are actually given homework).
bootney farnsworth
November 27th, 2012
2:40 pm
funny how the child is getting more shrill as its persona has been shredded.
the tantrum should follow anytime now
bootney farnsworth
November 27th, 2012
2:54 pm
@ ray
if I’m following your point, you are discussing the concept of streamlining education to students only taking the most specific classes necessary for the degree.
when I was in college, I felt the same way. once I got a bit older (late 20s) I changed my views. here’s what I came to realize once I got into the working world…the value of liberal arts education as an undergrad is very simple.
it exposes you (the student) to a broad spectrum of knowledge and people and experiences. this in turn makes you a) more well rounded which makes you b) more employable and gives you a chance to c) test drive both ideas and potential careers.
as to the question of why an MD needs to know who the first president was:
-it makes the MD a more well rounded person, and better able to relate to patients.
-it provides a broad knowledge base for helping evaluate patients mental abilities
-it helps fuel external interests, which make overall better people and a overall better society.
bootney farnsworth
November 27th, 2012
2:56 pm
@ mountain
“How about reading to your child every night and doing homework with them (if they are actually given homework”.
requires parents to give a damn about what goes on in their kids lives. not exactly a given these days
Lexi
November 27th, 2012
2:59 pm
As long as folks lash out when well meaning people point out the obvious, that states with large percentages of blacks, browns and other “disadvantaged” students perform below average, we shouldn’t expect meaningful dialogue. And, the argument that “red states” are backwards disregards the fact at most have very large populations of black and brown residents, who pull down graduation rate statistics.
If spending money were the answer, Washington DC, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and those other bastions of enlightened spending would be raising the averages, instead of pulling them down.
bootney farnsworth
November 27th, 2012
3:05 pm
easy steps
-read to your children
-do homework with them
-talk to them. discuss the issues of the day.
-take them to the library, community theater, music performances
-let them see YOU read.
-meet with their teachers constantly.
-volunteer at their school.
-let them know you believe in them and reinforce you know they can do amazing things.
most parents have almost no clue how much giving an obvious damn can do for children.
and how little it takes to do this.
another high school teacher
November 27th, 2012
3:14 pm
I have been in the business for 29 years. I have been in schools that have covered the gamut of economic situations. The biggest difference between kids is the parents behind them. It did not matter if the kid was rich or poor, white or black, Asian or Italian, if they did not have parents at home – it was a much different scenario than the kids that did. Every kid can get what they want from almost any high school. Yes, I am a part of that process. But if you have kids, then raise them. Let me teach them the mathematics.
bootney farnsworth
November 27th, 2012
3:17 pm
@ Lexi
I have made similar points many times and rarely have been treated with anything other than spirited but honest discourse.
when children throw thinly veiled bigoted remarks and insults out like homecoming queens throw kisses, said children marginalize themselves.
brutally put, we, mainstream society can’t force the parts of society who don’t value education to suddenly do so. we can prompt them, offer perks, instill punishments, but we can’t make them care.
and until they do, all we can realistically do is prop up the ones who try.
its not optimistic, but it is what it is.
why do so few people really succeed in life? they put in the work most people won’t.
bootney farnsworth
November 27th, 2012
3:19 pm
oh, btw: acknowledging a blind squirrel found an acorn is not validating the skills of the squirrel.
its an acknowledgement of dumb luck
EChild
November 27th, 2012
3:28 pm
Lexi, you are a “racist”, and agreeing with me makes you one (they have nothing else to fall back on). bootney farnsworth, you believe children should decide if they want to continue their educations after elementary, and I’m the child? You are the one who posted that nonsense, not me. The pot is calling the kettle black as night.
Old timer
November 27th, 2012
3:29 pm
TN requires students to stay in school till 18, even using the courts to keep then there. Parents who do not comply…or force their kids to comply have big issues. And, I will say after living there 5 years…..parents are no better. In fact I learned about meth, moonshine, and so on…from the kids in the rural town I lived in. There was a lot of support for special Ed….private tutoring etc, and ESOL. I also think among the ESOL population I worked with there was bunches of parental pressure for them to graduate, especially second generation as they began moving to the middle class.
Old timer
November 27th, 2012
3:32 pm
And to someone’s concern about comparison between states…I believe all states use the same method now….hence the drop in GA’s rates
EChild
November 27th, 2012
3:36 pm
Old timer, if it were up to bootney farnsworth, that compulsory education up to the age of 18 would end be reduced to 12. Her amazing insight into child psychology makes her an expert!
EChild
November 27th, 2012
3:37 pm
Old timer, if it were up to bootney farnsworth, that compulsory education up to the age of 18 would be reduced to age 12. Her amazing insight into child psychology makes her an expert! Lunatic fringe . . . . . . . .
James
November 27th, 2012
4:30 pm
Please remember by this new method of calculating graduation rates, a student is counted as a “failure” if he/she doesn’t graduate in four years! We graduate a lot of our disabled, hispanic, black and white kids in five or more years. They are not failures if they stick with it and graduate, sometimes it just takes more than four years. I took over five years to graduate my first time from college (engineering) and then went on to achieve my masters and specialists degrees in education…glad they didn’t consider me a “failure” for taking so long to graduate!
Susan
November 27th, 2012
4:49 pm
Good questions, Quiet Observer: Let’s see,
Are Georgia’s graduation requirements too stringent? No. Not at all. But we should be offering a selection of pathways to a successful adult life.
Are students entering high school unprepared to succeed? Yes. Quite often. Something is happening in elementary school. We aren’t hammering the basics. Reading, writing and basic math are somehow falling by the wayside in favor of some new kind of broader ‘understanding’.
Do all students need or more importantly want to be prepared for an academic college experience? No. Do all students NEED a college-prep diploma? No. We are leaving a lot of young people in the lurch by not preparing them for a decent job and giving them the ability to manage and pay for their own future families.
How many of those dropouts earn a GED and have a job? Not as many as end up in jail – at least in DeKalb. There are over 3,500 prisoners in the DeKalb county jail. It’s something like the third largest jail east of the Mississippi. Now, THAT”s shameful!
How many special education students fail to graduate on our single diploma system and why? Most fail to graduate. Again, the college-prep curriculum is not appropriate. But they are also entitled to a happy life and access to a decent job along with the opportunity to feel as though they are contributing their fair share to their community.
Why are Hispanic children not graduating and what supports do they need to graduate? This is a racial issue as bad or worse than the one experienced by African-Americans. Probably worse, as they have very few advocates. African-American leaders (at least in DeKalb) are the worst offenders of discrimination against Hispanics… check out how many Hispanic administrators they employ… probably 1%. And there are more Hispanics than whites in the school system!
How many students are dropping out for spurious reasons? See the comment about the jail. We have serious poverty issues to address as well as access to healthcare and counseling. Children should not be punished for their parents ignorance. We place too much of the educational responsibility on parents. Teachers can teach any child. We just have to provide the proper environment: small groups and discipline.
How many students are dropping out for economic reasons? Same answer.
How many students are dropping out due to drugs or criminal activity? Same answer.
How many students dropout from learning burnout? I personally know several very gifted (male) students who didn’t drop out, but left the public school system for private school in high school. If our leadership at the state would study in detail how some of our best private schools are doing things, they would learn quite a lot.
EChild
November 27th, 2012
5:04 pm
Susan, your post was going great until you said, “We have serious poverty issues to address as well as access to healthcare and counseling. Children should not be punished for their parents ignorance. We place too much of the educational responsibility on parents”. That is utter BS of the most pathetic kind. If you think govt. teachers can somehow raise the nation’s children, you are out of your mind. I’ve never read a sillier comment indirectly advocating for big govt. in my life. You just couldn’t get by without getting political, could you? I also like how you never addressed my previous post; APS spends more than 13k per child and look what they have to show for it. I also like how you ignored my post regarding the primary cause of black poverty, but I’m not surprised since both previous posts don’t support your narrative. I’m sure you’ll spin your response with, “well, all that money going into APS and DeKalb is too little too late”, or some other liberal drivel like that. And to think for a moment that you almost sounded reasonable.
EChild
November 27th, 2012
5:06 pm
Well, Susan, I guess it just “takes a village”, aka, “big government”.
EChild
November 27th, 2012
5:08 pm
Well, at least Susan’s post wasn’t as bad as bootney farnsworth’s who believes compulsory education should end at age 12.
Pride and Joy
November 27th, 2012
5:31 pm
Prof mentions socio-economic status. Prof, EDUCATION DETERMINES socio-economic status. Socio-economic status DOES NOT determine education.
In one generation or less, ANY individual can dramatically change their socio-economic status through education. In these United States, an education is easy to get. The poorest of the poor are guaranteed an adequate education and guaranteed a boat-load of expensive social programs to help them along the way.
I know.
I WAS that socio-econimically disadvantaged kid. I am not anymore. I didn’t have involved parents. Mine were abusive and neglected me. I still carry a lot of pain but I don’t carry the socio-economic status and neither do my kids. I credit two teachers and a nurse for my success and my own efforts.
Anyone using socio-economic status as an excuse for poor education has a poor education because everyone should know that Frederick Douglas was a slave, a member of the lowest socio-economic status on planet earth, yet he became educated. He spoke and wrote better two hundred years ago than most Atlanta Public School teachers do today.
Logical Dad
November 27th, 2012
5:45 pm
(dare I mention that EChild has not refuted my resolution that he does not like like “blacks” and “mexicans?”)
Regardless, it is obvious that when one resorts to name calling and pejoratives, one simply does have the facts on their side. EChild has STILL (after a full day of “teaching”) not provided any bona fides to support that he is what he claims to be. Please, when it comes to EChild, consider the source.
EChild
November 27th, 2012
5:49 pm
Read the thread illogical dad. I responded to both your points a number of posts ago (see the post directed to bootney farnsworth as to why I’m not going to provide my personal information). In other words, again, read the thread. And if dislike our minorities, why do I live and teach on the south side of Atlanta, and why have I been doing it for over a decade? Again, the realities of the communities down here are something you simply can’t stomach. But hey, I guess calling me a bigot and a racist from wherever you live is the easy way out.
doesn't matter
November 27th, 2012
6:39 pm
as somebody that plays on a sports team and sees many people move to Georgia and stay with host families to play on our team, and attend public schools here. all of them consistently say the same thing about our schools being harder than were ever they were from, which most of them are coming from Florida Tennessee Carolina and Alabama. Somebody living with me coming into his junior year with a 4.0 coming from Florida only got two A’s his first year here. And I here the same thing from people who go out of the state to play on different teams and live there. all they talk about is how much easier school is where ever they move to than it was in Georgia
Pride and Joy
November 27th, 2012
7:05 pm
I think poster “doesn’t matter” doesn’t realize the profound impact his her statement unintentionally made…
I am posting it again for all of us to let it sink in…”as somebody that plays on a sports team and sees many people move to Georgia and stay with host families to play on our team…”
High school students are moving to Georgia..to play football. Where are they moving from?
Southern states.
And Southern states are the bottom of the bottom of the education barrel.
Imagine sending your child to live with another family so they can what? Play football, an unhealthy activity wrongly called a “sport.”
For what purpose?
What possible good can sending your kid to live with another family to play football do for any child?
Has any Southern parent sent their child to another state to live with another family so they could get a better education?
Nah. Not by a long shot.
Football is a cancer on Georgia’s children.
The players are downright OBESE.
Look at the lineman — just a wall of blubber.
Head concussions and death due to heat stroke — for what?
Machismo.
The insipid worship of obese chauvinists.
It disgusts me.
3schoolkids
November 27th, 2012
7:10 pm
Interesting but without a comparison of graduation requirements among the states in that year, not really helpful. FYI for those who have already posted, the data is from the 2010-2011 school year, before Georgia’s graduation requirements changed. GHSGT was still in effect, but the number of credits needed to graduate was lower and the second diploma track was still available. I fear the number will be down for 2011-2012 as the extra science and math credits required will have made it harder to graduate. The 2012 graduation year was also the first class that went all the way through middle and high school with the integrated math.
Also noteworthy is the fact that Georgia does not have an alternate path for students (Special Ed, ELL, even General Ed) that cannot for whatever reason, complete ALL course requirements. This will encourage students to withdraw/drop out and go for a GED instead and then take the 2 year/Tech College track or go straight to work. I know many posters are thinking “if they can’t complete ALL requirements, maybe they shouldn’t be there.” However, you could conceivably have a student who made it through high school but just couldn’t pass that one math or lit class on time and so they don’t graduate. This doesn’t have to be a Special Ed, ELL or Low SES student, it could be anyone. Know a good kid that just doesn’t have a Math Brain? 4 years/4 credits doesn’t leave much room for error and this could be one of the kids who doesn’t graduate on time. Other states offer flexibility to schools and offer “alternate plans” for kids who have difficulty with certain required curriculum allowing them to demonstrate proficiency in another way besides exams. North Carolina with a 78% graduation rate is one of those states.
Taxpayer and Teacher
November 27th, 2012
7:24 pm
@doesn’t matter…You did say play sports didn’t you? He was probably given his grades along with the rest of those “players.” And note to E Child…your Asian population didn’t fair that well either…79 percent? Really? Shouldn’t they at least be in the low 90s according to your reasoning? Association brings about assimilation. The “I don’t care about education” attitude runs across the board in Georgia, no matter your ethnicity.
EChild
November 27th, 2012
7:28 pm
Yawn “taxpayer”. There is a massive difference between the white/asian numbers and the black/hispanic numbers, but you spin away all you want.
Logical Dad
November 27th, 2012
7:50 pm
So, EChild, you’re a coward. Got it. Thanks for the clarification.
Ray
November 27th, 2012
7:53 pm
@ EChild
Just go get a life instead of faking one by trying to be some well respected teacher that you’re not.
I’m not going to say you’re a racist, but a closet stereotypical jerk.
Regardless if you tell anyone otherwise you have a problem with blacks and Hispanics. Even if you don’t admit it.
AnonMom
November 27th, 2012
7:56 pm
I can’t read all of the comments – sorry — but I’ve posted what I’m about to post before — I’ve been shaking my head over the numbers for a while — so I’ll share it again — at the DSW “blog” readers lambasted me and critisized my numbers but I promise you I’m within a few kids of right because I was shocked as it happened and it was my eldest child’s class — the numbers mattered to me: He left the top (or one of the top) DCSS middle schools with 2 full teams of kids (120 per team) and 2 3/4 teams (70 per team) — 380 — to roll ino one of the top DCSS high schools. The school received on AYP and somehow they wound up with 525 freshman. We could never get an explanattion as to where all the “extra” 9th graders really came from… some were transfers in. We were told that most were “returning” from private schools and magnet (but we also “lost” some to private school from 8th grade).. By mid-year (2007 I think this was), I wandered into the copy room and saw charts on the wall (this is after mid-year grades) — there were lists of the “grades” for each class — 9th grade, 10th grade, 11th grade and 12th grade — the class sizes shrunk by year. The “success” rate for each grade improved (e.g. the 12 grade had a higher pass rate than the 9th grade) — I was absolutely astounded that for 9th grade — not one “discipline” had more than half the kids “passing” — the fail rate was at least 50% … this is for the “basics” — math, english, biology, history but also for gym and spanish and art and music. Sometimes it was at 44% and other times it was at 60% (the fail rate, that is) — because these were graphs, you couldn’t tell if it was the same kid failing all classes or one kid failing one class — and for some things, if a kid wasn’t proficient in English, it would be hard to pass certain other subjects and the school had a high concentration of non-native English speakers… but this was still astounding. By this point the principal finally explained that part of the ’surge’ in 9th grade numbers were ‘froshmores’ — kids who never made it out of the 9th grade …. Push forward to 11th grade: we pulled our son out. He was kid number 304 when he left — by that time the 525 had dropped to 304. The class began senior year at 303 — they graduated 275 — the group of 525 (380 in 8th grade) – in one of the best (ranked in the top 300 or so nationally) high schools in the state — only graduated 275 of 525 of the kids who began in that class. My friends and I can “account” for about 50 of the kids who weren’t “in the mx” — a good handful did what we did and pulled private — one died on an overdose, one graduated early — but what about all of the others? No one seemed to care… When we pulled our younger kids out at the start of 9th grade at least they asked where they went … I don’t remember being asked what we did with the oldest (by administration).
EChild
November 27th, 2012
8:06 pm
How am I a coward “illogical dad”? And Ray, address my points rather than trying to get into my personal life.
EChild
November 27th, 2012
8:07 pm
Oh, and thank you for the compliment. It is a respectable career, and I actually enjoy my job. I also really enjoyed the entire week I just got off for Thanksgiving.
Lexi
November 27th, 2012
8:10 pm
E child:
The racists are the ones who attack the messengers and those who inquire because the attackers are afraid they may not care for the true answers. Lawrence Summers, who, among other things was Clinton’s secretary of Treasury, was hounded from his position as president of Harvard because he raised the question of why women might be “underrepresented” in science and engineering professions. Legitimate inquiry-pummel the questioner.
It’s not really debatable that blacks, browns and “disadvantaged” perform below Asians and whites. Rather than howl, those who are interested might be better off finding out how to change that objective fact. Money is not the answer.
EChild
November 27th, 2012
8:10 pm
“illogical dad”, how about you post your place of employment on here? There is no way I’m going to tell you which school or county I teach in. I already told you I teach on the south side in the metro area, and that is all you will know. Giving more info than that online is no cowardice, it’s simple wisdom.
EChild
November 27th, 2012
8:11 pm
Lexi, again, that makes you a “racist”. Stop making sense!
Lexi
November 27th, 2012
8:13 pm
Ouch!
Taxpayer and Teacher
November 27th, 2012
8:28 pm
@E Child, I didn’t spin anything. I looked at the numbers that were posted. Please stop being in denial. The WHOLE STATE did a poor job. Please tell me that you are not proud of the numbers that the white students posted either? Surely you want better for all of the students in Georgia! You couldn’t teach my children…(not that you would since they are definitely BLACK) I’m afraid rigor in the classroom would amount to lip service only for you. Since you have low expectations for your students, you probably sit around and “yawn” instead of teaching. You are the only teacher that I know that actually got some “rest” last week. The rest of us were getting ready for the “rest” of the semester. Stay on the South side where they won’t find out about you. Up North we actually do work, whatever ethnic category we fall into. Your lackadaisical attitude makes the rest of us look bad.
Lexi
November 27th, 2012
8:28 pm
The brilliant economist and writer, Thomas Sowell, wrote a terrific column, published today at townhall.com, about the scientific debate between Arthur Jensen, who believed intelligence was largely determined by genetics, and James Flynn, who believed intelligence could be juiced by nurture. Jenner was smeared as a racist. Flynn credited Jenner’s inquiry with prompting Flynn to conduct his own research. Thomas Sowell, a black, cited this debate, as opposed to screeching, as an example of the way legitimate science is advanced. I agree.
Taxpayer and Teacher
November 27th, 2012
8:31 pm
@ Lexi. Please, you wish you could come close to my achievements…LOL
Really amazed
November 27th, 2012
8:36 pm
My sister-in-law still insist that her children are receiving an excellent education here in a public school in Georgia!! Keep drinking the kool-aid. Maybe some are????
EChild
November 27th, 2012
8:49 pm
Ahhh, “taxpayer” is black. It all makes sense now. Did I say GA did well? But when you compare the white scores to the black, yes, at least they passed! I’ll say the same thing to you I said to Ray, “taxpayer”, since you obviously didn’t read the thread; “there is a big difference between a generalization, which is what the numbers in this article present, and your personal situation, taxpayer. If you can’t make that distinction between you and generalities, then you shouldn’t be reading statistics. And of course you don’t want to address the blatant issue and discrepancy in test scores presented in this article . . . . . . .. your Black!”
And yes, I did take the week off, and it was deserved. You don’t get to teach at the high school AP level by being incompetent, but you tell yourself what you need to to ignore all the points I’ve made. And Lexi, there is no way these libs are even remotely interested in Thomas Sowell. Rational thought doesn’t interest them.
EChild
November 27th, 2012
8:52 pm
By the way, I teach in a school that is 80% black “taxpayer”, and I’ve been teaching at predominantly mexican and black schools my whole career.
Taxpayer and Teacher
November 27th, 2012
9:04 pm
@E Child it should by You’re not Your….What discrepancies. Sweeheart I’m from Texas and so are my relatives. What you have here is a Georgia Education problem. Our BLACKS scored higher than your Georgia whites. And as far as the AP Level, AP Georgia level or AP National Standards level?Or AP South Side Level? LOL I have seen what you guys consider AP and believe me as an IB graduate, and a nationally recognized authority on literature, I beg to differ. This is not, for the most part, what I would consider a LEGITIMATE AP environment. Most of these students are in the program because their parents know someone. Genius means superseding the norm. This is not the norm. It is the bottom. Again you guys are in denial here in Georgia. The WHOLE SYSTEM NEEDS Revamping. AND YES I AM VERY BLACK, BEAUTIFUL, INTELLIGENT AND PROUD OF IT. Good night EChild. Maybe one day you will become E Grownup. LOL
Taxpayer and Teacher
November 27th, 2012
9:06 pm
@E Child, good for you! That doesn’t mean that you like the students or that you have their best interest in mind. YOU DON’T NEED TO TEACH OUR CHILDREN. Go get a job in your area…if they will have you. Why don’t you teach people that you feel can be successful. The best areas hire the best teachers.
EChild
November 27th, 2012
9:17 pm
Moron, and a Black woman at that (very stereotypical indeed you are). AP as in Advanced Placement (The College Board level). I teach advanced placement at the high school level. The curriculum is separate from the state curriculum. And it’s be, not “by”. Ummm, the discrepancies in the black/mexican graduation rates of this state (not TX) vs. white/asian. Dear God, did you read the article? What discrepancies? And you are a teacher? Again, another one completely ignores all the points and questions I’ve raised.
Taxpayer and Teacher
November 27th, 2012
9:34 pm
@E Child you need to get out more…Again, I am not from Georgia…Have you ever heard of Beethoven, Bach, or Tchaikovsky? Have you ever heard of Vincent Van Gogh, Michaelangelo, Norman Rockwell? Have you ever been to the symphony, opera, ballet? How many languages do you speak? How many countries have you lived in? How many times have you left the state of Georgia? Do you know anything about geography, physics, chemistry, astronomy, logic, philosophy? Are you aware of any new and exciting scientific inventions, explorations? Do you know anything about fracking, the Super Collider, the Constitution of either the United States or any other country? Do you know what the Magna Carta is or where it originated? Do you know anything about any other culture except to try and denigrate them to make yourself feel better? Please stop listening to the music of your general student population and get a real education. This is only the tip of the iceberg of what I learned about and know about…Maybe I need to teach you, because your vocabulary, worldview and knowlege base is sorely lacking. If you need to be exposed to a real world, globally focused education, please feel free to contact me. It is evident by your posts that you need to be taught a few things.
EChild
November 27th, 2012
9:41 pm
Here is how “Taxpayer and Teacher” should respond if she is going to be honest; “Even though GA’s graduation rate overall is mediocre, it is a travesty that Black students in GA graduate at 16 percentage points below their White counterparts. Even though EChild seems extreme, if you read his posts, he has many good points, and it’s time Black communities in GA stop avoiding the issues and positions people like him are making clear. That being the case, we need to stop fooling ourselves into believing money is somehow the culprit here. Money cannot fix this problem. We must begin a humbling process of introspection to determine what socially and politically we can do for ourselves and our families rather than wait for a bureaucrat to come rescue us. No amount of EBT, Section 8, Medicaid, free and reduced lunch, early intervention programs, and luxury facilities will change the fact we must address; 70% of our children are being born into single parent homes. This is the #1 cause of Black poverty in the U.S. yet we refuse to openly admit and tackle this problem. The problem is directly correlated to LBJ’s Great Society social welfare programs, and as we’ve become more dependent on these programs, as a percentage compared to other groups in this country, we’ve literally witnessed government replace our children’s fathers. And even though my family and I are an exception, it’s clear that many Black families are not, as the graduation numbers in this article make clear. So wake up Black America! What can we do to remedy these problems? How should we begin to change our social and political mantras? Now is the time to reform our social and political ideologies and stop blaming people like EChild for speaking the truth. It’s time to thank individuals like him who have our best interests at heart as an educator who works in our communities”.
EChild
November 27th, 2012
9:43 pm
Ummm, why are you in GA? How is your state of birth even relevant? Again, did I say you specifically were part of that 16% lag in the black/white graduation rate? You don’t need to prove anything to me. Prove it to the 60% who aren’t graduating on time.