Boys Are No Match for Girls in Completing High School

Kudos to Jay Greene and Marcus Winters for their detailed -- and horrifying -- report on graduation rates.  Here's the overall summary:

Nationwide, about 72 percent of the girls in the high school class of 2003 — but only 65 percent of the boys — earned diplomas, a gender gap that is far more pronounced among minorities, according to a report being released today by the Manhattan Institute.

 

The report, "Leaving Boys Behind: Public High School Graduation Rates," found that 59 percent of African-American girls, but only 48 percent of African-American boys, earned their diplomas that year. Among Hispanics, the graduation rate was 58 percent for girls, but only 49 percent for boys.

If that isn't bad enough, the schools in the biggest cities are failing far worse, with NYC near the rear of the pack.  It's mind-boggling to think that TWO-THIRDS of NYC's African-American and Hispanic boys fail to finish high school!  Given the poor performance of those who DO finish high school, I have to imagine that the 2/3 who don't make it are close to illiterate, have limited ability to function in society and are likely to lead miserable lives.

By Mr. Greene's calculations, none of the nation's 10 largest school districts, which together educate more than 8 percent of American public school children, graduate more than 60 percent of their students.

 

Among the nation's 100 largest school districts, the Manhattan Institute report found, New York City had the third lowest overall graduation rate, 43 percent. The two lower districts were Detroit and San Bernardino, Calif.

 

In New York City, 47 percent of the girls and 39 percent of the boys graduated from high school. Among Asian-American high school students in New York, 68 percent of the girls and 54 percent of the boys got diplomas, as did 43 percent of the African-American girls and 33 percent of the African-American boys, and 37 percent of the Hispanic girls and 30 percent of the Hispanic boys.

Overall, the failure of our K-12 public schools -- at least those "serving" low-income, minority students -- is an ongoing national disaster of massive proportions, yet as a nation we're largely fiddling with the deck chairs on the Titanic...

 

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The New York Times

Boys Are No Match for Girls in Completing High School

April 19, 2006

By TAMAR LEWIN

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/19/education/19graduation.html

 

Nationwide, about 72 percent of the girls in the high school class of 2003 — but only 65 percent of the boys — earned diplomas, a gender gap that is far more pronounced among minorities, according to a report being released today by the Manhattan Institute.

 

The report, "Leaving Boys Behind: Public High School Graduation Rates," found that 59 percent of African-American girls, but only 48 percent of African-American boys, earned their diplomas that year. Among Hispanics, the graduation rate was 58 percent for girls, but only 49 percent for boys.