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New VDOE report details on-time graduation rates
The Virginia Department of Education today released state-level, division-level and school-level reports that detail outcomes for students who entered the ninth-grade for the first time in 2004 and were scheduled to graduate in the spring of 2008.
RPS had a 65.9% graduation rate and a 16.2% dropout rate. Armstrong HS had a 56.1% on-time graduation rate and a 16.2% dropout rate. Franklin Military Academy had an amazing 98.4% on-time graduation rate and shows no drop-outs. FMA trailed only the nationally-lauded Open High and Community High, both of which had 100% on-time graduation rates. (more detail for Armstrong & Franklin)
Statewide, of the 96,152 students in the cohort, 8,347, or 8.7 percent, dropped out; 0.4 percent were reported as being on long-term medical or family leave or expelled for one year with the potential of returning to school; and the status of two percent could not be determined with current state data. A student whose status is unconfirmed is not counted as a dropout until it is established that he or she is not enrolled in another public or private school or receiving home instruction.
Today’s release complements the Virginia On-Time Graduation Rate reports published last October with more specific data.
Obama is definitely right on the issue of education – we’ve got to do better if the US is to remain competitive in the world… I’ve been thinking that more highly disciplined schools may be the way to go for those who refuse to get with the program in a more traditional environment… this seems to support that. Way to go Franklin Military Academy…
What are Open High and Community High?
Both are Richmond high schools that seem to be kicking ass.
Open High – “an alternative public high school in Richmond, Virginia. Established on the premise that students are self-directed, independent learners, Open High School offers a community-based education to approximately 200 high school students in a small, personal setting. Students are provided opportunities to take high school and college classes, volunteer, and develop internships in a number of locations in the heart of downtown Richmond. Successful students develop the initiative, independence and responsibility to manage an individualized schedule and successfully maneuver around the city.”
Community High – “an alternative public high school with an enrollment of approximately 200 students in grades 9-12. The school provides a rigorous program for the development of students with above-average ability, creativity, and drive to learn. Established in 1977 with funds from a private donor, the school is a purely local effort; a collaboration of Richmond Public Schools, Virginia State University, other area institutions of higher education, and an advisory board of educators and interested community leaders. The school is a college preparatory.”
I’m encouraged to see public high schools like this in Richmond. Franklin Military is practically in our backyard and the other two high schools give me hope for my son since we might not be able to afford a private school. He would get lost in the direction the high schools are taking currently and I think a public school environment really is a good experience to have.
Now if I could just figure out where to put him during his middle school years…
John Butcher has posted his analysis of the drop-out numbers. While I am happy for the two “crown jewels,†I cannot help but be concerned about the other five comprehensive high schools.
Check out the data. What do you think?
How can the community help keep these children in school?
Crystal…Albert Hill and Binford are great middle school options in the city if you are able to get out of zone permission.
#5 Now the east end can apply through citywide open enrollment -they did away with megazones and special permission. The process: first inzone students then everyone else by lottery. Unfortunately these schools have waiting lists and no one I know got in. Parents are panicking. I’m sure the long lines into a couple of choice schools will double due to the economic meltdown and peoples’ inability to afford private education anymore. The middle school problem in Richmond is huge.
So if you have kids in Church Hill, where can you send them to high school? In what situation would you use the “lottery” system? (when you want to go out of your zone?)
#7 High school in the city is a whole other game. You have schools that you can apply to like Open, Community, Governor’s, IB at TJ but your kid has to be performing academically well above average and/or be artistic, otherwise, your kid attends a zoned school. There might be a lottery for the regular high schools given available space, however, most families I know try for the special schools and if their kids don’t get in, they move or pay for private school.
Gray, that’s exactly what we’re going to be doing. My son typically tests way above his grade level so needs to be challenged constantly and in order to do so, needs to attend a school where the administration and teachers know how to handle it.
Thanks for the suggestions and tips! I plan to get started this summer just in case there are massive waiting lists.
Crystal, The lottery for middle schools this year was held in February and the results were received in late March. It is not a matter of preparation with the exception of turning in the form by the stated deadline. All out of zone students are placed in the lottery and chosen blindly. The problem is that everyone is entering the lottery for just a few spaces at the desirable schools.
You might consider the IB program at Lucille Brown Middle since your son needs to be challenged and tests above grade level. To get into the IB does require some footwork -the program is incredibly small and very few students are accepted. Hopefully RPS will expand the IB programs at the middle school and high school levels soon. People are apt to send their children into these programs over private school.
Carol Wolf comes up with some suggestions for RPS in her Style Weekly article on creating more middle school options. If we had everything from academic to arts middle school programs, a lot of folk would consider staying in the city and/or using public schools. The more students in public schools means more state and federal dollars and the per-pupil cost of each student will lower just like the counties.
styleweekly.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=…
Virginia Sets the Standard for Dropout Reporting (RTD 4/3/09)
RE #11: “On the other hand, the numbers might help to dispel some misperceptions. Richmond’s dropout rate of 16.2 percent is not grotesquely higher than that of, say, Chesterfield (11.7 percent)”
If my math is correct, that is a pretty large difference, actually. Round about 25% discrepency in failure-to-complete rate for schools right down the road from each other.
Not sure that I would use the word grotesque there – kind of misleading, and a bit dramatic for stat work. But I think that the word significant may apply.
A 25-ish% discrepency is significant. Whose job is it to examine the variables?
@#10: I know some on city council are pushing to expand the middle school IB program in the city.
For those of you that want to see this happen, please contact your school board and council reps.
Actually, the heirarchy to get into a school goes like this:
In-kids first
No Child Left Behind Kids
Open Enrollment
Special Permission
Last year, NCLB took almost all the open enrollment slots for out of zone schools. To use NCLB, your zoned school must have not been able to meet its accredition standards. NCLB kid are bussed to out of zone schools – this is by Federal Mandate.
Corruption does indeed exist, however. If you child has enrolled through NCLB and is not accepted at the out of zone school that means that all available slots must have been filled through inzone and NCLB kids. However, some schools have been allowing open enrollment and special permission even though there is no space left. If this happens, call up the Title One office and they will make sure the school is complying.
Everytime this discussion comes up, I am always amazed that so few people seem to know about this segment of NCLB. I have successfully used NCLB to get my children into good schools and receive bussing by simply following the rules.
As far as high school goes, if NCLB stays in place almost none of our non-special Richmond high schools make accredition.
That means, depending on the number of zoned-kids, you could apply through NCLB and would almost be guaranteed placement into any non-special high school that does make accredition. However, then again, the only Richmond high schools that are really thriving are the “special” schools.
There’s another trick to remember, too, edg. Your child is entitled to remain in an NCLB slot at the school for the duration of their education at that school — even if a school closer to their home becomes fully accredited in the interim.
edg, the year you applied under NCLB, your zoned school was not fully accredited but now it is. So the NCLB for middle school choice admission doesn’t work for us in the east end right now.
I don’t think the catagory of special permission exists now that the mega-zone lines have been erased.
Acceptance into choice schools goes in this order:
1) inzone kids
2) NCLB if your zoned school is not accredited (currently most schools are accredited so the NCLB is useless for many).
3) lottery for out-of-zone kids city wide.
Given that the neighborhood middle school *is* fully accredited, can any of you explain why you do not want to send your children to MLK?
edg, I know about NCLB and have used it before but it won’t work for rising middle schoolers in the east end this year.
RE: #19 – Just seeing this.
I would have loved to have sent my son to a neighborhood school for middle. We went same-sex for middle – for a multitude of well-thought-through reasons. Back to public for high school, and I sincerely wish that we felt that Armstrong was an option.
I remember John saying that MLK is now doing same sex classes for some courses, which I think is excellent, and shows responsiveness to all of the reasearch that supports the benefits of this track of education.
I may be a neighbor but you are discussing my kids.
I teach in the public schools to those scary,high needs ,low income kids,such as those you would like to protect your babies from, yet live in their neighborhood.I am reading these posts and as usual I find myself disgusted by waiting list and lottery discussions.
If you would like a better schools you should keep your kids in the neighborhood school ,and become active in that school with other parents.It is amazing what can happen when the advantaged people yell…things move.Crazy!This a community site why not act like a concerned member of your community ,like with the ENTIRE community.If you want less crime ,better stores,restaurants,etc then create the great community school yourselves.We have to pull each other up and I am not referring to property values.Mix it up!
#22, I’m not sure what you mean by “advantaged people.” Whether or not you have money, you have a vote and a voice and while I was active in the neighborhood east end school, I encouraged all parents and neighbors to get involved. Making the time, not having money, is what is needed.
What is also needed, is support from downtown administration and the school’s principal and if you’re trying to form a PTA, you’ll need the support from the city council of PTAs.
Katie, my kids attended an east end school and we loved the teachers and the students.