Posted on 11/29/2005 5:02:15 AM PST by COUNTrecount
November 29, 2005 -- The percentage of city high-school students earning the gold-standard Regents diploma has fallen over the last three years — and the lackluster progress of African-Americans and Latinos has one prominent education watchdog declaring a "civil-rights crisis." According to the city Department of Education, just 33.2 percent of students who graduated high school in 2004 left with a Regents diploma — a drop from 2002, when 35.4 percent of students earned the coveted sheepskin.
When the figures are broken down along ethnic lines, they show that just 9.4 percent of African-Americans and 9.8 percent of Latinos were awarded a Regents diploma in 2004, compared to 36 percent for whites and 37.5 percent for Asians.
Eva Moskowitz, head of the City Council Education Committee, which is expected to grill education officials on the dismal figures at a hearing today, called the numbers a "civil-rights crisis."
"This means that nine out of 10 African-American and Latino children are utterly unprepared for college," Moskowitz said. "This is the most depressing statistic I have ever seen."
The figures are in contrast to the overall high-school graduation rate, which has climbed steadily over the past three years, and suggest larger numbers of students are settling for the less-demanding "local diploma," which is awarded by city schools.
That diploma is not endorsed by the state.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
You may call me unsympathetic, but it is NOT a civil rights issue if these kids chose not to apply themselves. I am tired (and particularly grouchy this morning) of these 'watchdogs' equating poor performance with racism.
Morning Recount,
I know, it's President Bush's fault.(satire)
Cordially,
NSNR-FA&TD
blame it on the african-american and latino students not the communist card carrying union that is supposed to
(what a laugh) "educate" them. this is another article that shows the failure of the public school system in this country and the bigger failure to do anything about it.
Yo yo yo just keepin' it real, y'know.
Now support me for the next 60 years.
As a former educator in the NYC public schools,I advise the parents in the poorest schools to MOVE.Within a short distance of their neighborhood,they can find some of the best public schools in the United States.Near the former World Trade Center there are NYC public elementary,middle and a high school(Stuyversant),where the students are 2 and 3 grades above average in mathematics and reading.One way of doing this is to become a building superintendant.
I wouldn't go so far to the call you insensitive. However, I would suggest that student's poor performance can also be accounted for by a lack parental involvement, which is a problem unto itself.
I too am sick and tired of seeing so many supposedly educated people equating "results" with "Opportunity" and seeing racism while they're actually staring at performance.
This has simply GOT to stop.
Cheers,
Lloyd
It is black and hispanic racism against the system.
Minorities accede to stereotypes when they fail to apply themselves and take the easy road to street death or prison!
Why is this a "civil rights" crisis? Why is this not a crisis within the Black and Hispanic communities? Why do liberals never address "the root cause" in such situations? Could it be that certain cultures make it "uncool" to go to school, study, and work? And why is it that the Asian and White students always seem to do better?
Has anyone listened to rap "music" lyrics lately? Advertisers spend billions each year to come up with catch jingles that will stick in consumers heads and alter their buying behavior. Are we to believe that rap music doesn't reflect community values and has the same impact as jingles?
They were given the same opportunity, and for whatever reason, chose to piss it down their leg. I also find it very telling that this person who is so outraged that 9 out of every 10 black and latino children are utterly unprepared for college isn't equally outraged that 6 of every 10 white and asian children are equally unprepared. Now tell me - who is it that is bringing skin color into the issue? Who is it that is truly the racist.
Both my sons are HS teachers in two different states and their student achievement duplicates the results in the story.
I'm shocked, I tell you, shocked! (/amused sarcasm)
Celebrate diversity!
Why not just randomly pick some minority kids and give them a Regents diploma? That would bring up the numbers.
As a NY State HS grad from a while back, then all diplomas were regents diplomas or you didn't graduate. There may have been one or two in my class of 300 plus that did not earn a regents diploma.
Ithaca High School, class of '59. Back when Ithaca was a conservative community.
Shouldn't there be an apostrophe somewhere in "regents?"
(steely)
Never underestimate the fear of being perceived as being 'too white.'
Now break the numbers down by male and female. You will find a gender crisis beyond comprehension.
I'd call it a parenting crisis.
Where are the parents? Why aren't they the ones hollering? What are they doing for their kids?
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