FSCA NEWS

FLORIDA TRAILS NATION IN GRADUATION RATES Palm Beach Post -- June 21,
2006 by Kylene Kiang

Florida has the fifth-lowest high school graduation rate in the country,
its students making up a large share of the estimated 1.2 million
American high school students who will fail to graduate this year, a
study released Tuesday found.

The study by the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center found
Florida's graduation rate to be 58 percent, 12 percentage points below
the national average. The state had previously reported the rate at 66
percent.

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The study, which included data from more than 11,000 school districts
nationwide, also found that graduation rates are significantly lower for
ethnic minorities and boys. The analysis used the most recent data
available from the 2002-2003 school year.

By race, the graduation rate in Florida for blacks was placed at 42
percent; Hispanics at 54 percent; whites at 65 percent; and Asians at 80
percent.

By gender, both girls and boys in Florida were below average. Girls' 63
percent rate of graduating trailed the 73 percent national average for
girls, while boys lagged behind at 53 percent - well below the national
average of 65 percent.

The national high school graduation rate was found at 70 percent. The
study reported rates for American Indians at 48 percent, blacks at 52
percent and Hispanics at 56 percent. This compared with rates of 76
percent for whites and 77 percent for Asians.

The high school diploma is essential for future education, employment
and citizenship, said Lynn Olson of Education Week and the executive
editor of the study.

Without sufficient education, the economic toll on the country can be
great, she said. People without high school diplomas are more likely to
utilize subsidized housing and health care, food stamps and other forms
of public assistance.

In 2006, the employment rate for those without a high school degree was
only 42 percent, compared with 60 percent of high school graduates and
76 percent of college graduates.

Among the largest school districts, Fairfax County, Va., had the highest
graduation rate at 83 percent; the lowest, at 22 percent, was found in
Detroit Public Schools.

The five states with the worst graduation rates were South Carolina,
Nevada, Georgia, New Mexico and Florida. Among the best were New Jersey,
North Dakota, Kansas, Vermont and Connecticut.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/state/content/state/epaper/2006/06/21/a2a_f
lagrads_0621.html

# posted by FSCA @ 1:57 PM