KEITH HERRON: New Initiatives Address the Plight of Students of Color
OPINION – The plight of today’s low graduation rates among males of color is a serious matter.In the state of California, less than 68 percent of Hispanic students who start high school graduate on time. For African Americans less than 59 percent of students who start school graduate on time. Studies also show that 31 percent of these students actually drop out of high school.
The rates in the Sacramento Region are just as alarming. If we were grading Sacramento region schools using their own system, they would receive a grade of “D-” or “F”. In most cases when considering someone for promotion, students who receive D’s and F’s would not be promoted to the next level or some type of intervention would be prescribed. The question then becomes, how should we treat our schools when they have the same passage rates as the students that they fail? Should schools be able to continue to operate if they don’t meet a set standard for graduating students?
Most districts would argue that there are many factors that need to be considered and schools deserve an opportunity to improve themselves. Districts also claim that funding is not adequate
