Sphere: Related ContentData Errors
By RiShawn Biddle
spectator.org
More than 90 percent of New Jersey’s high school freshmen graduate on time. That’s according to statistics reported by the state to the public and to the U.S. Department of Education, but it isn’t so. At best, just eight in ten freshmen graduate on time and even those projections may too high. Dropouts who get General Educational Development diplomas can also receive regular high school diplomas if they score at least 225 on all the required tests.
New Jersey isn’t the only state in which the number of students earning diplomas is given an overly — shall we say? — optimistic spin. America is in the midst of an educational crisis, with high numbers of high school dropouts and low academic achievement. More often than not, school performance data reported by state and federal officials fails to convey this reality.
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TAKE GRADUATION RATES, which, along with the test scores, are mandated by No Child as key measures of achievement. Forty-seven states reported graduation rates in 2003 that were far higher than reality, according to the Education Trust in a 2005 report.
In 2006, 25 states didn’t report graduation rates for four categories of students as mandated under No Child. And some states and local school districts report numbers that are suspect. Indianapolis Public Schools in Indiana reported that 33 percent more 12th graders graduated from its woeful dropout factories in the 2005-06 school year than were actually enrolled. Texas may have artificially boosted its 2005 graduation rate by labeling 12,700 missing students as “data errors.” (more…)
Finding and losing history
History found Records of freed Va. slaves placed online History possibly lost (suburbanchicagonews.com) "A property once covered in unique objets d'art and so renowned even the Smithsonian Institution took notice now is slated for demolition. Kane County officials this week took further steps toward tearing down the long-abandoned African-American Heritage Museum and Black Veterans Archives in Aurora Township by approving an application to the Circuit Court for demolition of 'dangerous and/or unsafe building.' 'This is the very beginning stage' of the demolition process, said Mark VanKerkhoff of the county's Development Department. It could be three to four months before the building actually is torn down, ...
Here we go again with another social experiment
TV One to begin Sunday show aimed at blacks NEW YORK (AP) — Roland Martin will anchor a new Sunday public affairs show aimed at a black audience that will debut in September on the TV One network. The "Washington Watch" program aims to tap into a new interest in politics and government due to the election of President Barack Obama, said Johnathan Rodgers, TV One's president and CEO. It debuts Sept. 27 at 11 a.m. ET, and the show will be repeated each week at 5 p.m. Martin, who is also a CNN commentator, will interview newsmakers and members of the Congressional ...
LA the hard way
When Antonio Villaraigosa ran for Mayor of Los Angeles a few years ago, most of his platform was based on the fact that he would be the first Hispanic Mayor in 133 years. Question his record beyond the historical narrative and suddenly you found yourself framed as one of "those people" who dislike all Hispanics. Well guess what I saw in the store the other day? That's right! The one time golden child for the Left who was gonna fix Los Angeles just by showing up is now being called a "failure" by a major publication. Just back in 2006, the ...
Why the rush to make Michael Jackson a “Christian”
On the days following the death of Michael Jackson, I read from two sources so-called accounts from Christians that Michael Jackson was in fact a Christian. Now I found the claim quite interesting because I know that MJ had also claimed to be a Muslim, Jehovah Witness and I believe that he also embraced Judaism to some extent. But how was it that all of a sudden folks were claiming that MJ was actually a Christian. Here was the first claim I came across. David Pack for purposedriven.com (The article was removed or moved to another link. But here is the ...
It begins here
Okay, all the hatin' over the BET Awards show is really getting silly. Don't like BET? Then work on changing the culture FIRST. If you can change the culture, you will decrease demand for what you feel misrepresents Black folks. Do it the other way around, and more "BETs" will pop up. Need an example? Some of y'all may remember back in the day when local churches would stage protests in front of local porn shops. Did they manage to get a few of them shut down? Sure did. But how did the porn industry respond to meet demand? They moved ...
