Posted on 02/01/2006 7:56:24 AM PST by West Coast Conservative
Sen. John Kerry claimed this morning on NBC TODAY that only 53% of America's children graduate from high school -- a claim that raised eyebrows in the NBC control room, sources tell the DRUDGE REPORT.
Kerry made the comments after host Katie Couric asked the former presidential candidate about the Bush's State of the Union call to train 70,000 additional teachers in math and science.
COURIC: He wanted to train 70,000 additional teachers in math and science.
KERRY: That's terrific. But 53 percent of our children don't graduate from high school. Kids don't have after-school programs... He didn't ask America to sacrifice anything to achieve great goals and the biggest example is making the tax cut permanent for the wealthiest people in America. The average American struggles to find time to take carry of families, working two or three jobs... It's a disgrace. He did not tell the real state of the union.
Kerry's 53% claim conflicts with a recent press release from the U.S. Census Bureau: "High School Graduation Rates Reach All-Time High"
And the Census Bureau's own website states: 85.9 Percent Of Americans Aged 20-24 Are High School Graduates. (U.S. Census Bureau Website, www.census.gov , Accessed 2/1/06)
Ooops, Senator, it's 53% that actually graduate. But what I'm curious about is how these rates play out in his home state of Massachusetts where he has been senator for about 3 decades and his party has held a clear majority for ... well for a very long time. Hmm. He and Teddy have been in a position to enhance their own state's educational policies and the Mass state educational system should be stellar then, right? We should be seeing the clear fruits of their efforts within their state. Their literacy and graduation numbers should be phenomenol and a shining example to our nation and to the individual states. Ideas he should be eager to share with the nation in a bipartisan way. *sound of crickets* (I hope the DU trolls are reading this.)
I don't know how Mass state numbers actually play out, but he's just spreading the hate. I'd listen for his reply to this never asked question, but I don't have time to hit the slopes at Davos right now...
I'll bet that if the 53% number is correct it is largely comprised of children of the left wing, (Blue States).
Sure sucks to be him...
According to most recent data, which should have been available to Kerry staffers...
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2006/2006601.pdf
The actual stats are 73.9% of freshmen graduate....
"The [averaged freshman graduation] 2002-03 national rate is 73.9 percent.
In summary, close to three quarters of freshmen nationwide graduated from high school on time in these 2 years (tables 1 and 3)."
And the title of that little document is:
The Averaged Freshman Graduation Rate for Public High Schools
From the Common Core of Data School Years 2001-02 and 2002-03
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2006/2006601.pdf
Because their NEA dues-paying members would lose their jobs...
I say this because I never, ever seem to hear of anybody who fails to graduate. Now, I know this is anecdotal evidence from a middle classer, but with such HUGH numbers overall (53 percent), I would think I'd run into, or reliably hear of, at least some specific individuals who don't graduate from high school, and I never do. Where do they all go?
"Kids don't have after-school programs"
So? Were there so many after-school programs when all of the previous generations went to school? That's why it is after-school. It is not the government's responsibility to babysit or provide things for children to do.
3 out of every 4 Americans make up 75% of the population
And only 50% of kids perform better than the medium on the SAT.
Very few children graduate from high school, although a lot of adolescents do.
Statistically the percent of children that WON'T graduate this year is probably far higher than that....0% of the High School Juniors will graduate this year. 0% of High School Sophomores will graduate this year. 0% of High School freshman......
Making a very rough swag that the number of students enrolled in each class, K-12 is approximately the same, only about 7-8% of our children will graduate this year.
In a very peculiar correlation, those same 3 all live in dwellings located directly above the center of the earth!
Only in Los Angeles~
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