SC Graduation Rates: More Bad News
New data on regional high school graduation rates has just been released – and not surprisingly the news is absolutely awful for Palmetto State students.
According to the new report by the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), South Carolina’s graduation rate ranks 48th in the nation, while its “promoting power” score – or the number of ninth-graders who make it to their senior year – ranks dead last in country.
All told, the report found that only 61% of South Carolina freshman wind up graduating from high school – compared to the national average of 73% and regional average of 72%.
These awful results come despite the fact that South Carolina has poured billion of dollars in new money into its K-12 system over the previous decade and implemented what it calls the “toughest accountability standards” in the nation. Sadly, none of these “reforms” have improved academic achievement.
Speaking of standards, the SREB study notes that South Carolina failed to report complete graduation rate and dropout data to the U.S. Department of Education – making “apples to apples” comparisons difficult. Additionally, South Carolina is the only state featured in the study that refuses to release graduation rate data for minority students – which is sad, but not surprising, considering the state’s growing achievement gap.
You hear that, Rep. Bakari Sellers? Legislative Black Caucus?
Oddly enough, educrats claimed back in June of this year that South Carolina’s graduation rate had soared by double digits, catapulting the state out of the national cellar. The SREB report debunks that claim, however, showing that the state’s graduation rate has improved by a meager 0.2% from 1996-2006.
Yeah … let that statistic sink in for a moment.
Funding to the public K-12 system has more than doubled since then, and yet the graduation rate has improved by less than a quarter of a percent.
That’s pitiful.
South Carolina’s public school system has seen dramatic increases in funding in recent years – even despite the national recession. In fact, according to data released by the state a week ago, per pupil funding is at its highest level ever in South Carolina – over $12,000 per child. That figure is up 4.5% from a year ago, although the vast majority of the increase come from additional “administrative costs,” not teaching-related expenses.
The release of this report also comes at a time when educrats are looking to further dumb down the state’s academic standards due to pressure being brought from well-heeled RINO lobbyists. According to a report released two weeks ago by the nation’s preeminent assessment evaluators, South Carolina’s new “Palmetto Assessment of State Standards” (PASS) test would “result in dramatic increases in the percentages of students meeting standards in South Carolina schools, even with no actual improvement in student performance.”
Moving the goalposts, in other words.
More money. Faux accountability. Same pathetic results.
When will it end? When will South Carolina parents and teachers finally see what’s happening to their children and students here?
“On one hand, South Carolina is spending over $12,000 per child at our public schools, even during the midst of a serious budget crisis – on the other hand, between one third and one half of students fail to graduate from high school,” said Randy Page, President of South Carolinians for Responsible Government, a group that’s promoting more parental choice in South Carolina.
“Parents and taxpayers should be outraged,” Page said. “They need answers, not more excuses.”
Indeed.
FITS will have an additional report on this ongoing generational tragedy in our Monday editions.
For now, feel free to contact the S.C. Ministry of Failure and Non-Competition (a.k.a. the State Department of Education) to voice your thoughts …
WEB EXTRA
Comments
By crosstown on October 23rd, 2009 at 7:26 pm
School vouchers, now!
By Fits Lies on October 23rd, 2009 at 10:13 pm
And even in one of our only ranked schools by US News, some high school teachers have been overheard to say, not everyone is meant for high school. It is pathetic. But then, most of the teachers went through the SC school system and SC higher ed……
By Todd on October 23rd, 2009 at 10:38 pm
Better teachers. More teachers. Fewer administrators. Put the army of consultants in the classrooms.
By Depressed in SC on October 24th, 2009 at 7:10 am
SC will remain in the Nation’s “basement” on every major issue until we better our educational system. No normal person wants to move their family to this pathetic state. So business leaders do not want to build or locate here.
By Gillon on October 24th, 2009 at 10:03 am
I just don’t understand why so many of our young aren’t motivated to work harder and improve themselves. I mean, look at our elected officials–why couldn’t our school children follow their good examples and use them as role models: You have:
an adulterous, governor who because of his irresponsible. self-absorbed actions is hanging on to his office by his fingertips;
a lieutenant governor who drives at dangerous speeds up and down our highways and through questionable land deals enriches himself at the public expense;
a former state treasurer who serves prison time for distributing cocaine;
a former state commissioner of agriculture who serves time for taking bribes to allow cock-fighting.
a U. S. Congressman who through bad manners and stupidity demeans his office and his state by insulting the President of the U.S. on national television;
a U. S. Senator who publicly states that he hopes our President fails and that we should “break him.”
a leading party activist and appointed office-holder who compares the First Lady to a gorilla.
two county chairman who publicly insult the Jewish citizens of our state.
So kids take heart. Study hard and stay in school and you too might become like one of these and some day be chosen to lead this state.
By Red Bank Bar on October 24th, 2009 at 11:03 am
Yes sir, Mr. Rich, what else can we do Mr. Rich?
Voucher pimps and their Jeferson Davis Lee Jackson Hammond Segregation Academy edukational back ground are certainly embarassing. As President Obama (I know, I know, y’all think he’s an uppity negro) said recently, GRAB A MOP.
By BIN News Editorial Staff on October 24th, 2009 at 2:24 pm
sic(k) willie has a quota of attacks on public education so he can keep getting Howie’s voucher pimp payoffs. sic(k) willie makes up “facts” about public education as he goes along.
Truth means nothing to voucher pimps.
By Richard on October 24th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
Better teachers. More teachers. Fewer administrators. Put the army of consultants in the classrooms.
Todd, how will this help if the students are not in attendance?
How do we keep ignorant people from having children?
By crosstown on October 24th, 2009 at 11:00 pm
You could spend $100,000 annually on each kid’s edumacation in SC and would probably obtain similar failure rates.
It’s the parenting, stupid.
Irresponsible, lazy, worthless parenting results in abysmal student peformance.
By ohara on October 25th, 2009 at 11:48 pm
This is what happens when you have a moron governor put in a home-schooling porn writer (”one of the governor’s closest education policy advisors for years”) as Chairwoman of the SC Board of Ed-u-ca-shun.
SC’s powers that be have no idea how to fix the mess they call a school system, especially the current flock of gubernatorial wanna-bees.
They need to look OUTSIDE SC & start interviewing academics who actually know what they are doing & have a proven track record. If they can turn this around in 10 years it will be a miracle. The whole state is one gigantic corridor of shame.
By Alan Richard on October 26th, 2009 at 9:52 am
It’s not correct to say that student achievement hasn’t improved in SC over time. Consistently, state test scores have risen on increasingly difficult tests that measure student performance on increasingly challenging academic standards. SC is doing well in this department. But more attention needs to be paid the low graduation rates, for sure. This is true not only in SC but in virtually all other states, as well.
By check this on October 26th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
Not that is makes the graduation rate wonderful, but the statistics are somewhat misleading.
The numbers reflect the percantage of SC students that finish high school in four years. They do not take into account those that take an extra semester or year or summer to finish. Some also get GEd’s after they leave.
I’m not defending the educational system in SC, it needs major work, however an apples to apples comparison is in order.
The rate will still suck, by the way.
By Frank's Interdiction on October 26th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
BIN – how is this “made up facts?
This is a third party report, authored by a left-leaning nonprofit?
I also do not understand how 61% is the rate of kids going from 9th on to 12th grade, but also the number of kids who get diplomas – there is NO way that each and every high school senior who starts the year goes on to get a full diploma at the end of the school year.
Sounds like more sketchy reporting from the Rutledge Building!
By BIN News Editorial Staff on October 26th, 2009 at 7:43 pm
Frank,
Sounds like you’re a closet voucher clown. Wake up and smell the voucher scam. Vouchers do nothing for those who need help the most.
Just that simple.
Think about it.
BIN News
Flair and Balanced