Raleigh News and Observer Watch - 6/29/05

On June 26 the N&O editorialized concerning North Carolina's high school dropout rate. Here are the first two paragraphs:

North Carolina education officials reported to the federal government that the state's graduation rate for 2002-2003 was 97 percent, the best in the nation. How nice for us.

In reality, the actual graduation rate was a far more modest and worrisome 64 percent. What North Carolina really had was not the nation's best graduation rate but the highest discrepancy between what was reported and what was factual.

No doubt North Carolina's claimed 97 percent graduation rate is inflated.

But how did the N&O determine the state's "actual graduation rate was ...64 percent?"

With students moving in and out of state and country, and some graduating in 3 years while others graduate in 5 or more years, and no national tracking system, how was "old reliable" N&O determine the state's "actual graduation rate?" The editor didn't say.

And how did the N&O determine that among states reporting, North Carolina had "the highest discrepancy between what was reported and what was factual?"

The N&O didn't cite a source for that claim. Readers were left to wonder.

Further into the editorial there was a reference to an education advocacy group, The Education Trust, which "more accurately estimates graduation rates." For North Carolina, it estimates a rate of 64 percent.

Could The Education Trust's estimate of a 64 percent rate have been cited by the N&O as the state's "actual" rate?

If the state's 97 percent claim is inflated and state's "actual" graduation rate is unknown, then what should we make of the N&O's claim that North Carolina had "the highest discrepancy between what was reported and what was factual?"

I'm going to send this post to N&O editorial page editor Steve Ford, and invite him to respond.

I'll also send it to some educators, and invite their responses.

The N&O ended its editorial with this:

The truth, no matter how grim, is what is needed to solve problems. Feel-good fantasies do no one any good.

I know we all agree with that.

Now, let's see what happens. I'll keep you posted.