The Rochester City School District’s press release announcing Superintendent Jean-Claude Brizard’s contract renewal cited possibly misleading numbers about graduation data.
“Under Mr. Brizard’s leadership, the Rochester City school District is seeing improvements in student performance and more students graduating high school in four years. A total of 1,334 students who entered high school in 2005 graduated in four years, an increase of 16 percent over the 1,153 students who graduated in four years after entering in 2004.”
But according to the state, Rochester’s four-year graduation rate actually
fell during Brizard’s tenure to 42 percent in 2008-09, down from 48 percent in 2007-08. (
Click here to see state graduation rate data.)
So who’s right?
Brizard is using sheer numbers of students graduating, not the percentage. The 2005 cohort, or the group of students who entered 9th grade that year was very large. Brizard said the large cohort is evidence students are staying in school and not dropping out. (I can think of a lot of other reasons why a cohort would be large – birth rates, better record keeping, closing of two charter schools.)
“A percentage does not explain what is happening. But the number of kids graduating has increased,” said Brizard. He added that he community is too hung up on graduation rates. He says the focus should be on how students are doing two years after graduation. Are they ready for college and work? Brizard said many are not.
(Watch the attached video to hear his answer to my questions about why the district is touting these numbers. A couple times, he incorrectly said the district’s graduation
rates have increased.)
While the district has not improved its four-year graduation rate, it has improved its five and six-year graduation rate under Brizard. After six years in high school, 55 percent of students who were 9th graders in 2003 had their diplomas, an improvement of 7 percentage points over the previous cohort.
The good news is, more students are getting through school – eventually. But the fact remains that the district’s four-year graduation rate – society’s acceptable standard - is abysmal. I’m not sure why anyone would want to take credit for that.
