GRADUATE RACE-DIVIDE GETTING WORSE

"Does it ever occur to anyone that that cursed "white" group just might be doing something right????"

81% is doing something right??!! 81% is shameful in one of the richest states in the union! 81%? I have seen families in Africa where the parents routinely skip meals to pay school fees for their youngsters. Here we offer a fully free education for anyone who takes it and the best white New Yorkers can do is 81% graduation? The black New Yorkers may or may not be able to claim a legacy of segregation as a contributing factor to their even more pitiful graduation rate, but white New Yorkers have no excuse. They did not publish numbers for Asians, but I would bet it would put 81% to shame. In my experience (personal, not statistical), Asians and Jews put more value in a good education than any other socio/ethnic groups. I bet if you separate out Asians and Jews they would have graduation rates worth being proud of. 81% is a reason for shame.

And I put up Asians and Jews as an example for a reason: the graduation rate is a result of societal values, not government policy. Government cannot change societal values. If they could. there would be no crime, no tax cheating, no deadbeat dads (and moms), no night hunters, no speeders, no AIDS, no hurricanes, AND NO BUDGET DEFICIT! The original poster makes exactly the right point, the fault for terrible graduation rates lies not with the school system, but with students who put forth no effort and parents who let their children get by with no effort. The dropout population should take a line from that wise possum Pogo: "We have met the enemy, and he is us!"

"and they believe that all speech starts with, "Yo." "

And the only verb is "like." As in "I was like, now way!" which translates roughly to "I said 'no way,'" or "I thought 'no way.'" It's like irritating, dude!

" In todays high schools, it takes a great deal of EFFORT in order to not graduate. "

Amen to that!

See, I went to school at MIT, where there are a lot of Asians. And my wife substitute-taught in Boston. The schools in Chinatown were poor, but the kids were as well behaved as in the whitest parts of Boston (probably better ...).