High School Graduation Rates Below State Requirements. Now what?

Written By: Talk of the Sound News

The New York State School Report Card for New Rochelle High School Accountability and Overview Report for 2009-2010 were just published on the website – https://www.nystart.gov/publicweb-rc/2010/15/CIR-2010-661100010016.pdf . There is a wealth of information about all our schools and their performance in the many tests they take. In General, the results for our elementary schools and for Albert Leonard are, as always, good. For Isaac Young Middle School, see them for yourself.
My issue is that we continue to have an ineffective rate of graduation for our children in our high school. At the end of the school year, there were 3,454 students at NRHS. 804 students started the school year; 775 were eligible to graduate in 2010; 596 graduated on time. So out of 775 students that started the school year only 596 graduated – that’s 77%. We don’t know what happened to 29 students who are statistically missing.
In the Latino community the graduation rate was 61%. We have failed them again. Every year, the Principal of NRHS and the rest of the administration present their goals for the year. I don’t remember if this issue for this group was part of their goals. Time to review and assess if they have met this or these goals. If they have not, they should be disciplined, like any other employee in any business is. The NY State Education Department has noted their Aspirational Goal in this report for this school:
“The Board of Regents has set an aspirational goal that 95% of students in each public school and school district will graduate within five years of first entry into grade 9. The graduation rate for the 2005 total cohort through June 2010 (after 5 years) for this school is 82% (77% for 4 years of on time graduation) and, therefore, this school did not meet this goal.”(Emphasis by NYSED). No magic formula for a cure or fix, but please show us that there is something in place to know that we are trying. Gracias.