Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Urban Institute maps grad-rate trends

UNC Charlotte's Urban Institute recently posted an interactive map that helps people look at graduation-rate trends for N.C. school districts over the last eight years,  since the state started using a four-year tracking method.

Graphic from Urban Institute report
The overall statewide trend has been upward,  though as the report notes,  there have been variations by district.  Wake,  the state's largest district,  has been fairly flat,  while Charlotte-Mecklenburg has caught up.

When it comes to education data,  it seems like there's always a footnote.  CMS changed the number of credits required for graduation,  starting with the class of 2013.  As I reported Monday, it's hard to gauge how much that influenced this year's gain,  which continued an upward trend that preceded the change. About 1,475 seniors availed themselves of the new option to graduate with fewer than 28 credits, but CMS officials note that an unknown number of those likely would have met the higher credit requirement had it been in place.


7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Geez , when you lower the standard the graduation rate increases? What Einstein came up with this equations from UNCC? I am guessing its the same crack team that said the NASCAR HALL, Light Rail , DNC would all be hits.

Anonymous said...

So even with the changes, year-over-year are within expectations.

In 4 years this graph will become very interesting with the introduction of the common core curriculum and changes in the support of public education at the state level.

www.ncpublicschools.org/accountability/reporting/cohortgradrate

Anonymous said...

As usual, anything coming out of the Urban Institute needs to be looked at with a critical eye. Their lack of objectiveness and rampant cheerleading makes them a questionable source of any data.

Anonymous said...

We have been setting the bar lower for decades for public education. Two years ago, 3/4 of the CMS graduates had to atke remedial cclasses for entry to CPCC.

These days, 3/4 of our youth can not meet minimum acceptance levels into our military. Makes you wonder why so many immigrants are allowed entry into the miltary and can earn their citizenship that way.

Wiley Coyote said...

So policies put in place under Gorman dramatically improved the graduation rate?

Heath has big shoes to fill.

Anonymous said...

20 machinist job openings because employers cannot find people with basic math & reading skills who are willing to work.

Anonymous said...

Lies

Damn Lies

Statistics

CMS and the "Market Adjustment" administrators should continue to slap each other on the back. Why did the frontline teachers not get the 2% raise this year MOrrison?

The loss of the payroll tax cut ate up that 2% last year. Why not fight for the frontline teachers this year? Who did the real work although it is an injustice.