LOS ANGELES – Nearly one in four public high school students in California dropped out in the 2006-07 school year, according to figures released Wednesday by the state Department of Education.
According to the data, compiled by a new statewide tracking system, 67.6 percent of public school students in California graduated in the 2006-07 school year, the adjusted four-year derived dropout rate is 24.2 percent, and 8.2 percent completed or withdrew from school and are considered neither dropouts nor graduates, such as students who transferred to a private school, left the state, or earned a General Education Degree (GED).
Although the dropout rates are lower than some independent estimates, they are considerably higher than previously acknowledged.
“Twenty-four percent of students dropping out is not good news,” commented Jack O'Connell, state superintendent of public instruction, who presented the new data.
“In fact, any student dropping out is one too many and the data reveal a disturbingly high dropout rate for Latinos and African-Americans," he said in a released statement to the press.
Using an older, discredited method, the state’s estimate of dropouts for the previous school year was at 13.9 percent. And even using the old system of measurement, the number of dropouts has grown by 83 percent over the past five years, according to Russell Rumberger, a professor of education at UC Santa Barbara who directs the California Dropout Research Project. Furthermore, the number of high school graduates has gone up only 9 percent.
"So that's sobering, it's really sobering," he told the Los Angeles Times.
Using its new "Statewide Student Identifier System," the state Education Department says it can now calculate dropouts far more accurately as every student is given a unique, anonymous ID number. With that, schools for the first time can track the whereabouts of missing students, and learn whether students are truly AWOL – like the 53,600 students who claimed they were transferring to a new school but never actually showed up – or whether they are somewhere legitimate.
The new data revealed high dropout rates for minority students: around 42 percent of black students (19,440 students), 31 percent of Native Americans (1,440 students), 30 percent of Hispanics (69,035 students), and 28 percent of Pacific Islanders (964 students). White students had a 15 percent dropout rate (26,165 students), while Asians had a 10 percent rate (4,462 students).
School districts have until the end of August to correct data, so figures could change.
However, as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger pointed out to reporters in Sacramento, it’s not just numbers that are important.
"It's good information," he said, but "what we need to find out is ‘What is the reason for the dropouts?’”
"Is it parenting, a lack of parenting? Is it that we don't have enough after-school programs to help the kids with their homework and with schoolwork? Is it that the teaching that is going on is too boring?" the governor posed.
“We've got to find out what the reason is and then we can work on that to eliminate those problems."
The new system – which will cost $33 million over the next three years, in addition to the millions spent for the initial development – promises to eventually provide a far better way to understand where students go, and why. Continue >>
Comments
Government schools are mostly awful. I'd drop too, if I had to attend in California. First generation or not, that's not the only reason for leaving school. There are plenty.
Hello, agentorangex! It's not me whose in Baltimore. I think that's Mike2685. I'm in the buckle of the Bible belt near Bob Jones U.
Here, the demographics are different as they seem to be in many areas. Here in SC we have a near 50% drop-out rate.
As for the minorities are the majority...from what I can tell everyone except white males are considered a minority in one form or another! For example, even a white women can get a minority business. It was tounge in cheek humor. :-D
Daniel Paul,
in your region of Baltimore (largely black) you might have a legit point, but nationally the highest dropout rates are found mostly around the poor and inpovereshed, which is generally composed of many times recent immigrant familes which moved here. Asians buck this trend though. The highest group for drop out rates are Latins, and by sure coincidence *wink* they just happen to the ones flooding across the borders by the millions. No corelation there.
"In truth, minorities are the majority."
No, not really. For overall national population figures, not at all. Latins and blacks make up each around 13% nationally. But the school demographics, particularly in certain regions, in which a younger generation is used reflect more of the difference you speak of. I grew up in the Bay area, CA and the schools I went to was very diverse, there was no single majority ethincally or otherwise. latins, asians, and whites each made up roughly over a 1/3 in their respective catogory with misc and few blacks making up the rest of the population. This reflected more or less how the world is populated as on single ethnic/racial group is truly over dominant, rather all groups are quite evenly distributed in sheer numbers.
The grade schools I went to was not the only of its type, some varianced more towards specifc ethnic groups as one would expect like in our past largely Italian, or German or Irish neigborhoods from NY & Boston for example. This is simply reflective of recent imigrants though.
There is no real excuse though for recent imigrants who come here not to succeed. Many recent asians who've come here take their education very seriously and are under pressure from their peers and family to excel. Such motivation and pressure doesn't exist culturally within for what is most of Latin countries. This is when speaking of drop out rates the issue of 'asian drop outs' isn't even a catergory.
agentorangex - it's possible but most of our drop-outs here are 'been heres' from families which have been here a while. It is true that more minority children drop out but that is because by percentage there are more minority students as everyone who is not white is classified as a minority. In truth, minorities are the majority.
'1 in 4 Students Drop Out of Calif. Public High Schools'
I suppose this wouldn't have anything to do with 1/4 of such kids in CA being 1st born generation Americans from largely Latino countries that normally don't culturally don't put much stock into education, let alone higher education.
"I teach in a very poor, all black school in Baltimore City."
Oh, my!!! Being a lay education advocate I have done some online research of the Baltimore schools. As I have said to those who have risked their lives in the military...I thank you for your service!
The problem is one that needs to be tracked through the past 40 years. It is true that those who control education control the society of the next generation. With the removal of God from the public schools came the effect of God taking a backseat in our society. Now the action taking place is to remove Him all together. It's been a multi-decade process.
Now that there is no fear of God and hell is simply a cuss word...there is nothing to fear greater than onself so many kids believe they can do what they want without fear of consequences. Social services spends their time forcing "I'm OK, You're OK" down the throats of parents who want to teach Biblical principles to their children and it's a mishmash to many teens who find that knowledge has no value since I'm OK....
We have a 41% dropout rate here and it's going up. Why? Kids see no value in education. They are just one more kid, the teachers don't want to be there and neither do the kids.
This is where the PBIS (www.pbis.org) comes into play. It fights the negative bias and makes school a safe and positive place to be. Check it out. The stats are impressive.
I don't think its about taking God out of schools. I teach in a very poor, all black school in Baltimore City. The families are very religious, and so we're open to letting kids discuss God in the school. Still, Baltimore has an extremely high drop out rate. Its the gangs that are more tempting than our disgusting, old building with a boring curriculum. Its parents who instill no value in the education of their children. The schools (or at least the teachers) are doing all we can, but without the support of the community, be it Christian or otherwise, we're all sitting ducks.
We send kids to schools where we teach them that there is no God, and therfore, no ultimate purpose for their lives. We teach them that whatever they do in this world is ultimately meaningless, because in the end they will completely cease to exist, forever losing the fruits of whatever effort they put forth during their time here. We tell them that they are descended from matter and nothing more, and that to matter they shall return. We destroy the foundation of morality, yet somehow we manage to express shock that they don't feel motivated to make a difference for good in the world. How do so many of us struggle to grasp the fact that when we pump baseless and empty-headed philosophies into our core institutions, we will in fact reap the consequences. This is the logical outworking of a society cutting the very roots that have given it life. It is time to wake up...
Yet another reason to support Christian schools, and to especially support scholarships for low income students whose parents cannot afford private schooling.
the governator of california said:
"Is it parenting, a lack of parenting? Is it that we don't have enough after-school programs to help the kids with their homework and with schoolwork? Is it that the teaching that is going on is too boring?" the governor posed.
âWe've got to find out what the reason is and then we can work on that to eliminate those problems."
the schools create a atmosphere kids dont want and they break up families by brainwashing. then kids are rebellious toward authority and depressed and abusive. No one wants to be in a george orwellian institution.
the governator knows whats going on, california is perverted and they dont want to tackle it because they might hurt the liberals feelings. Liberals are nuts, they know there brainwashing only destroys, but hey the moneys good right?