[Mpls] Doug Grow's Mythology

[Michael Atherton]

Ray Marshall wrote:
 
> When a dropout rate of 47% is reported, is that a true 
> dropout rate, or perhaps is it more reflective of a family's 
> move to another school district or state?  Or, perhaps might 
> it be just an unauthorized "vacation" from school?

The MPS themselves reported a 51% failure to graduate in
four years rate a while back.  I used a figure cited in
the Star Tribune: that the MPS had a 52.8 percent graduation 
rate for 2002-03.  I assume that this figure would take
into account the movement of students in and out of the
District.  I also assumed that if 52.8% graduate, then
47.2% do not.  I'll leave it to Steve Brandt to explain why
this would not be a reasonable assumption.  Regardless, the
52.8 graduation rate is appalling and was not denied by
the school district.  See:
http://www.startribune.com/stories/1592/5205312.html

What we should not do is to go into denial and rationalize
away this problem by questioning the data, nor should we
be lulled into complacency if the figure should turn out
to be "only" 37%.  We should be ashamed to accept anything
close to this figure.  I believe that people do so only
by falsely placing the blame on parents or poverty.  It's
the schools that are responsible for this failure, not the 
parents and not poverty.

Michael Atherton
Prospect Park