Washtenaw County's low-income students have lower graduation rates than any other subgroup
Low-income students in Washtenaw County continue to struggle, graduating less often then their peers and trailing them in most other measurements of achievement. Graduation rates for the class of 2009 show Washtenaw County students who are classified as low income had a graduation rate of 57.7 percent. That’s the lowest rate for any subgroup of students.
Chelsea High School sophomores work in an English perspectives class at the school on Thursday afternoon. Chelsea High School has one of the highest graduation rates in Washtenaw County.
Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com
Poor students had the lowest graduation rate in every district in the county for the class of 2009, including Ann Arbor, where the gap between the percentage of all students graduating and the percentage of poor students graduating was 24 percentage points. That’s well above the gap at the state level, where the difference between all students graduating and poor students graduating is 16 percentage points.
The trend isn’t new. Poor students have had lower graduation rates than other subgroups for several years.
But the graduation data illustrates a debate for school administrators as they seek to improve student achievement: Which is a bigger risk factor for students - race or income?
It’s a debate that has raged in recent days, following controversy over a black-only program at Ann Arbor’s Dicken Elementary School designed to boost the achievement of black students at the school.
The data
Just over 600 Washtenaw County students in the class of 2009 were classified as economically disadvantaged in state data. That’s up from 546 the previous year.
That number is likely smaller than the true number of students who are living in families struggling with low incomes. School administrators and other experts say that as students hit high school, they are less likely to apply for free or reduced rate lunch because of stigmas attached to it than in elementary or middle school. Low-income students are classified as such based on free or reduced rate lunch applications.
Of the 610 students classified as low income, 352 received diplomas after four years in high school. That’s 57.7 percent.
By comparison, black students in Washtenaw County had a 67.8 percent graduation rate. White students had an 83.1 percent graduation rate. Overall, all students had an 81 percent graduation rate.
The data trend holds in individual districts as well.
Ann Arbor had an overall graduation rate of 87.7 percent for the class of 2009. Black students in the district had a 78 percent graduation rate, while poor students had a 63.4 percent graduation rate.
Willow Run, which has a higher percentage of low-income and minority students, had a graduation rate of 46.7 percent overall. Black students there had a 47.1 percent graduation rate, and poor students trailed with a 41.9 percent graduation rate.
Poor students don’t just lag behind in graduation rates. Evidence also shows up in standardized testing and other measurements of student achievement, various studies have shown.
For example, in Ann Arbor, poor students had the lowest proficiency rates on the MME in the subjects of reading, English language arts and social studies of any subgroup other than special education students. The subgroup of poor students was tied with black students for the lowest scores on writing, and trailed black students by one percentage point in math and science.
Race and income as factors
Discussions about achievement gaps between groups of students have been occurring in Ann Arbor for decades. Most of those discussions have centered on the disparity in the scores of black students when compared against their white counterparts.
District administrators have long said that data shows black students overall perform worse than white students, no matter the income level of those students. They’ve said poor white students have outperformed higher income black students as a group.
But this year’s Ann Arbor MEAP data doesn’t back that up.
RELATED CONTENT
- Most Washtenaw County school districts see graduation rates decline in 2009
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- Black-only field trip that sparked controversy in Ann Arbor receives national media attention
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- Field trip for black students sparks controversy at Ann Arbor elementary school
For example, when grades three through five are combined on the math tests, non-disadvantaged white students had a 99 percent proficiency rate. Non-disadvantaged black students had a 96 percent proficiency rate. Economically disadvantaged white students had a 94 percent proficiency rate and economically disadvantaged black students had an 82 percent proficiency rate.
Ann Arbor Superintendent Todd Roberts said this year is the first year that trend has shown up and held true across several subjects.
Parent Eric Coles contends the district should spend more time focusing on low-income students than planning interventions based on race.
“You can’t tell me that rich black kids struggle as much as poor white kids,” said Coles, who has three children in the Ann Arbor school district. “If you’ve got money, you can buy your way out of struggles.”
Experts who have studied the issue say not having resources is a major obstacle for poor students. For example, poor students can’t pay for extra tutoring and may have to worry about work issues to contribute money to the family’s bottom line. They’ve also said it’s hard for students to concentrate in school if they are worried about whether they’ll have food to eat or where they’re going to sleep at night.
Ann Arbor, like other districts in the area and across the nation, has a number of programs aimed at helping poor students. Many are funded by federal Title I money.
The district also has several programs designed for minority students and has used a consultant for the last several years to help the district focus on the issue.
Controversy over the programs designed for minority students erupted last week after black students at Dicken Elementary were taken on a field trip to see a black scientist. School officials said the trip was part of the district’s plan to combat low achievement rates among black students.
By Friday, the district made the decision to disband Dicken’s African-American Lunch Bunch program. But Roberts said the district will continue to work with groups of students who struggle, and will also look at individual students and where they are struggling.
Roberts also noted the more risk factors a student has, the more he or she will struggle. He said data shows the group of students who struggle the most are poor, black, special education students.
In that way, it’s not race or income, but often a combination of the two, experts said. That shows up in data as well. The county’s poorest districts are also the districts with highest percentage of minority students.
“I think a lot of programs target both minorities and poor students,” said parent Kyle McDougal, who has two high schoolers in the Ann Arbor district. “So many poor students are also minorities. So many minorities are poor. So if a program is for black kids, isn’t it also helping poor kids? Seems like it to me.”
| Class of 2009 | All Students | Black students | White Students | Econ. Dis. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of seniors | 3787 | 706 | 2683 | 610 |
| Graduates | 3067 | 479 | 2230 | 352 |
| Graduation rate | 80.99 | 67.84 | 83.11 | 57.7 |
| Source: Michigan Department of Education |
David Jesse covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at davidjesse@annarbor.com or 734-623-2534.
Comments
Me Next
Thu, May 13, 2010 : 11:40 a.m.
"standardized tests" & "proficiency rates" are not proven as effective learning tools. Teaching the 3 Rs & self sufficiency in the life-long learning process is what every school age child is owed by Law. Writing skills (as well as useful Arts required for useful Science)have suffered as technology has advanced. Younger children are not getting anxious about how they are going to support themselves & pursue their happiness plan. Grades 3, 5, 7, 9, & 11 seem to contain sources of confusion. Knowing these sources would be a start in uniform basic education. Refocusing schools to Lawful Basics, not only would increase "education" but also remove outer society from unwarranted demands on school children. Companies want trained or will train new employees for the job they need filled. Having learned how to find what interests you comes from the 3 Rs' instruction. There are 2 kinds of Teachers: 1. attempts to fill students with information. 2. attempts to "turn on" students to learning & exploring "Resources" that are out there for all. Public Schools must be structured where earned classroom grades are quarterly assessed. A failing student must be placed in a tentative classroom for the purpose of mainstreaming back into the "earned classroom". That is real life & no child would be harmed if done in truth & honest effort by the adults. Federal money, strings & interference is The Major Part of The Problems. This issue is so large & complex it must be dissected & individually worked on. I can witness that "Free Lunch" is wasteful & harmful but not uncorrectable. Simply, this is one of the issues where we are so protected, we have no protection.
Bridget Bly
Wed, May 12, 2010 : 11:05 a.m.
just a homeowner: of course the schools should ask for (and get) good teaching. But the point is that schools get criticized for not being able to close gaps between those who have every advantage in their homes and those who have none. Some kids start on 3rd base, educational speaking. I don't think it's good policy to reduce funding for schools (which NCLB does) for not being able to hurry up the starting batters to third base.
just a homeowner
Wed, May 12, 2010 : 9:51 a.m.
Since schools can't require parents to do things, or "parent" in a effective way, perhaps schools should focus on requiring teachers to all teach in an effective way.
A2Realilty
Wed, May 12, 2010 : 9:40 a.m.
bornblu - I don't disagree with your comment at all. I believe that great parenting can overcome defiencies in the schools. I also believe that in some situations, great teaching can overcome bad parenting. However, in the presence of bad teaching, and in particular, bad parenting, it is difficult to yield a succesful member of society. It is also important to remember that children will have dozens of teachers as they progress through school. They will likely have two (or possibly a couple more via divorce) parents. Therefore, the effect that a specific teacher can have on a student is far less than the effect that a parent will have on a student. My frustration is with the posters that put the entire ownership upon the teachers and school system and ignore the far more significant influence of the parents.
bornblu
Tue, May 11, 2010 : 7:38 p.m.
@ A2Realilty; Without going into the depth that I presented on another thread; from my personal experience, good parenting (involvment, support, income, whatever criteria you wish to use) CAN be "overcome" by poor/inept teaching (providing a catalyst for poor achiemement). My simple point is that there is no 1 size fits all relative to poor achievement, both proper parenting and teaching are required for success, and failure of either (which occurs) may doom it.
JackieL
Tue, May 11, 2010 : 3:25 p.m.
The education articles and statistics are really interesting. Are there any plans to look at the track records in regards to special education students? I know that this is another group that also is at risk for low academic achievement, low self esteem, social difficulties, exclusion, etc. The people that I know with kids with learning disabilities spend a lot of time talking to schools and moving their kids from one school to another looking for a positive situation. It would be insightful to see some information about this.
belboz
Tue, May 11, 2010 : 11:02 a.m.
I do not trust you... I just attended the Pioneer Orchestra Awards night, and it was a very diverse crowd. Many people from many different ethnicities. Pioneer offers the same courses and opportunities to everyone. AP Math. Orchestra with loaner instruments. Sports. AP Biology. Latin. What is offered has nothing to do with socio-economics. It has to do with kids and what is motivating them at home. White or black, if kids have a home life that is stressful, they will more than likely do poorly at school. Supporting families economically is the best way to support their focus on education. To do this, we need to support our domestic companies and ensure we put our money where our jobs are. So, to all of you criicizing the education system, or our society - I hope you are not driving a Toyota, Hyundai, VW, BMW, or the like. Otherwise, you are a big part of the problem with our economy, and our ability to educate.
Stephen Lange Ranzini
Tue, May 11, 2010 : 10:06 a.m.
The 25% high school drop out rate is the final result of a process already set firmly into motion by the end of 3rd grade for most of these kids. On March 13th, I posted the 3rd grade MEAP scores of the students in Washtenaw County sorted from highest to lowest by school district here: http://www.annarbor.com/news/statewide-meap-scores-increase/index.php#comment-72676 Are any of you perturbed that between 3.2% and 45.5% of the students who fail are condemned to a life of poverty and government assistance already by the time they reach the 3rd grade??? If you can't read you can't be employed in the modern information era. If you fall behind you never catch up. If you don't believe me, look at the numbers for the higher grades that David Jesse assembled. The pass numbers get worse at each higher grade as fewer and fewer students pass the MEAP test. K-5 Students need to go to school year-round, and 7:30am to 5pm. The faster we fix this problem, the faster we'll turn our economy around, as the county would become a magnet for jobs if people could move here and have confidence their children would be properly educated. My statement that K-5 students need to go to school year-round is based on the best available research data. Even President Obama and the Secretary of Education have come out in support of eliminating the traditional summer vacation at schools (see http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33044676/) because it is now well documented that the long summer break is detrimental to the education of our youth. Talk to any teacher and you'll find out that they generally spend the first half of each school year reviewing what the students were taught the prior year. For more information on this topic, including the data on why the summer break is so detrimental to low socio-economic status kids, see the following post: http://www.annarbor.com/news/statewide-meap-scores-increase/index.php#comment-72698
JackieL
Tue, May 11, 2010 : 9:05 a.m.
After spending a couple years at Pioneer, I am stunned by the elitist and excluding programs my child experiences. Trust me, there is NO commitment to equity unless it involves statistics that someone is watching, which is non white, non asian students. If you segregate on the basis of skill/achievement/ability, you segregate by income. Why? Because the kids with money and educated parents are providing lots of eudcational opportunities OUTSIDE of school. This is the key to the whole thing. Parents need to get in there and challenge some of these programs that are excluding all but the top students. That means music, sports, and academics. Let's open some of these publicly financed programs up to ordinary kids!
A2Realilty
Mon, May 10, 2010 : 9:59 p.m.
Sure it does Dagny. Good teaching would certainly help. In fact, good teaching would help EVERY student that receives it. The point is that good teaching will not overcome the defiencies of poor parenting. Nor should it be expected to.
DagnyJ
Mon, May 10, 2010 : 8:14 p.m.
Ummm. how about teaching? Does getting good teaching matter?
A2Realilty
Mon, May 10, 2010 : 7:03 p.m.
just a homeowner - I think that you're agreeing with me, even if you don't mean to be. :) Using the poor physician analogy that I perpetuated, I do believe that the doctor should treat the patients the same. However, the idea that the both patients in this scenario have an equal chance at recovery isn't realistic. I'm not saying that parents of impoverished student are not as capable/responsible/successful as parents of affluent students. I believe on a case-by-case basis, there are many fantastic parents in EACH socio-economic class. However, the statistics of graduation in this article indicate that there is a correlation between poverty and success in school. This has to be due to 1 of 2 things: 1) genetics, or 2) environment. It is the age old "nature" vs. "nuture" argument. Personally, I don't believe that genetics play a significant role in this situation. Therefore, I favor the environment as the cause. Because the environment in the public schools is largely equal and the graduation rates are different, then it is likely that the environment outside of school is not conducive to the students being successful. The environment outside the schools is controlled by the parents. The responsibility lies with them.
just a homeowner
Mon, May 10, 2010 : 3:35 p.m.
But should the doctor's treatment of the patient be different for the patient who smokes as opposed to a patient with the same diagnosis who doesn't smoke? Yes, perhaps outcomes will be different. Outcomes for affluent students are different. But when the outcomes reveal systemic and persistent differences between groups, what does that mean? Also, why do you assume that parents of impoverished student are not as capable/responsible/successful as parents of affluent students/
A2Realilty
Mon, May 10, 2010 : 3:18 p.m.
DagnyJ - I don't agree with your analogy. You're looking at apples and oranges. First of all, I don't believe that teachers should give up on any students. I would like to think that a great teacher would attempt to reach and aid each student to help them reach their potential. That means providing some baseline assistance to the students on the struggling end of the spectrum and providing some additional challenges to continue to develop students on the excelling end of the spectrum. This isn't easy and it is time consuming. I applaud the teachers that are successful in this endeavor. The main point that I'm making is that it is entirely unrealistic to expect a teacher or an educational system to perform not only the role of teacher, but of parent as well. Some, if not MOST, ownership for raising effective members of society MUST reside with the parents. Many posters within this segment seem to feel that a teacher (who is probably overpaid in their opinion) should be able to take any student and turn them into a rocket scientist in a year. That idea is ridiculous. Going back to your analogies: this situation is more like a patient that presents to their doctor with lung cancer and is a 2 pack-a-day smoker. The doctor can do whatever is within their power, but in the end, if the patient doesn't quit smoking, the doctor will be unsuccessful in their efforts for treatment. The patient has to accept responsibility for their health and participate in the treatment/therapy. It is also important to remember that the financial and time resources available to the doctor to treat the patient are finite and that the doctor has to treat 30 other patients that day.
DagnyJ
Mon, May 10, 2010 : 2 p.m.
Actually, KIPP teachers are not paid more than teachers with the same experience at public schools. But KIPP does have longer day, etc. And does have higher achievement rates. I don't know if they have higher attrition rates or not.
Bridget Bly
Mon, May 10, 2010 : 1:50 p.m.
I think KIPP schools are charter schools that feature extended day and extended year programs. They are partially funded privately, and teachers are paid 15-20% more than public-school counterparts. They tout extremely high college attendance rates for kids who graduate from KIPP 8th grade, but I believe their attrition rate is also very high (successful kids stay). There are not any in Michigan at the moment, I believe. Anybody have an first-hand knowledge?
DagnyJ
Mon, May 10, 2010 : 1:05 p.m.
What do KIPP academies do? We could do that, for low-income kids.
Bridget Bly
Mon, May 10, 2010 : 12:50 p.m.
Improve learning for low-income students? I believe there are programs that could do that. But close the gap? Maybe I just don't know of any good ones. What kind of program do you think could do the best job? I've heard of some in the Bronx, but they seem to involve intensive full-family management: busing kids to the same school no matter where the family moves to, intensive after hours and summer school programs, one-on-one parenting tutoring for parents, nutrition and residential counseling, etc., etc.
DagnyJ
Mon, May 10, 2010 : 12:23 p.m.
I disagree. I evaluate education for a living, and I think there are lots of things that can be done to improve learning of impoverished kids.
Bridget Bly
Mon, May 10, 2010 : 12:17 p.m.
DagnyJ, I agree with a lot of what you say. We certainly shouldn't track kids based on SES. There are brilliant kids who will stand out no matter their circumstances and everyone should have the same opportunities in school. But I believe we have to be a bit more realistic about 1) how much of the gap is already there before the schools even come into the picture and 2) how much the schools can realistically succeed at making up that gap. At the moment, NCLB penalizes schools that can't make up the gap. All-white schools in affluent areas will never be penalized by NCLB -- it's the Detroit schools that get hit and penalized. That is not fair, nor will it lead to better outcomes. I'm not advocating any particular right answer, just an understanding that maybe the schools can't be expected to fix everything. One program I really like is the used book give-away at my child's school. "Take some books for your baby brother or sister" is a great way to get books into the hands of kids too young for the school system to reach.
DagnyJ
Mon, May 10, 2010 : 12:11 p.m.
a2reality, what if other professionals shared your belief? What if doctors didn't attend certain patients with the some level of treatment because they probably wouldn't behave well at home? Some patients forget to take meds, eat an ice cream sundae, smoke, drive too fast, get overly nervous, don't eat enough fiber. What if doctors said, hey, no need to get this guy to have a colonoscopy because his diet is so poor. One reason medicine has success is because try NOT to subscribe to such beliefs. As for education, if citizens tell educators, hey, there's nothing you can do to help the kid with lousy parents, then educators will assume there's nothing they do about a kid with lousy parents.
A2Realilty
Mon, May 10, 2010 : 11:55 a.m.
The biggest issue with regard to the lower graduation rates is the support that the students receive AT HOME. There may be genetics at play, but the most likely reason for poor performance for those cited in the article and in the comments is the PARENTAL involvement. Expecting teachers in the schools, be they private or public, to fulfill the role of both teacher and parent is asinine. I have a higher expectation for individuals in our society to shoulder responsibility rather than "pass the buck" onto someone else... particularly when it involves your own children. Sorry, but apathy breeds apathy.
uawisok
Mon, May 10, 2010 : 11:44 a.m.
"There Are two (2) problems that are causing this: 1.)Public School system 2.)Teacher Unions." Statements like this show the ignorance about poverty and it's impact on children, and this complex issue will never be solved with oversimplification. The political tendencies for such simple answers are convient for those with simple minds and teabags for brains.
DagnyJ
Mon, May 10, 2010 : 11:21 a.m.
Bridget, I think that if we believe that poverty is too big an obstacle to overcome, then why should bother to spend money educating impoverished kids in the same way as affluent kids? Why not put them in separate classes, groups and give them remedial training and and such early on? Prepare them for jobs that are appropriate, rather than expecting poor kids to succeed and do well? That was the case back in the early part of the 20th century. Kids were tracked early on, often based on affluence, always on race. Educators were fairly certain then that poor kids and minority kids would never overcome their deficits so why think they could? I would hate to think what might have happened if Chris Gardner (real guy who Pursuit of Happyness was based on), Bill Clinton, Dr. Ben Carson (famous surgeon), Colin Powell, David Geffen, had been "tracked" out of demanding education because they were poor.... Actually, I think educators can and should do a lot to teach kids. They should be supported by other social services with regard to nutrition, etc. But to condemn a child to low expectations because of affluence....I don't know about that.
Bridget Bly
Mon, May 10, 2010 : 10:22 a.m.
Hi Dagny: Thanks for asking! I think that poverty and the culture of poverty create a deficit so huge for low-income kids that they cannot (on average) compete with more affluent kids no matter what the schools do. How could they? A very strong predictor of 8th grade performance is whether your parent(s) read to you as a child and whether they read themselves. How can a kid who lives in a chaotic house with a TV for a babysitter and parent(s) who may be illiterate themselves -- how can that kid be expected to perform at the same level as kids who grow up in stable, educated families that make sure they get good pre-K care? It just can't be done. By the time those kids hit kindergarten, the playing field is already so uneven, I believe that there is little the school can do to "bridge the gap". And those disparities in stability, parent support, protection from violence -- all that continues in the home no matter what the schools do. One problem is it is hard to say to parents whose kids are failing, "you should have done X" when X was impossible for them to do. Their own parents probably didn't do X. We try to fix things in the schools because the schools have the resources -- but the schools can't fix the past and ongoing disparity. You can take some disadvantaged kids to see a rocket scientist, but other kids have rocket scientists in their family -- which do you think communicates more strongly that one could be a rocket scientist? So I don't believe blaming the public schools for the relative failures of low-income kids is fair. Those inequities are too huge to fix with a facile program or two. I'd love to hear your take, too, DagnyJ.
DagnyJ
Mon, May 10, 2010 : 9:17 a.m.
Bridget, I think we could have a lengthy talk about democracy and anonymity, but for the moment, what do you think about poverty, race and education? PS. The miracle of voting is that it is anonymous.
DagnyJ
Mon, May 10, 2010 : 9:13 a.m.
Hi comment-folks. Bridget had a comments about the tenor and content of the comments, and whether people were really that anti-education and whether saying so was an attack. I responded with a little history of democracy and anonymous publications in the political arena. All of our comments were removed, but I need to give you the context in order to repost the even more substantive part of what I originally said. It is below: BTW, I happen to agree that the public schools are fairly remarkable as an institution with several centuries of educating kids in the US. Having said that, I also think (and I hate to agree with him) Bush was right when he talked about the "soft bigotry of low expectations." It extends beyond the school, though, into neighborhoods where parents of affluent kids look down on their less affluent friends. Ann Arbor is the kind of place where people want to say "some of my best friends are black." But I haven't heard an affluent white mom say "some of my best friends are poor."
letsgoblue
Mon, May 10, 2010 : 8:34 a.m.
Andrew Thomas: "His point is that, even when you control for socioeconomic status, there is still a significant gap between the achievement of white and black, Hispanic and native American students. You may disagree with him on certain points, but before everyone jumps on the bandwagon to dump PEG, let's look at what they are actually trying to do, not other people's interpretations of what they are trying to do." mun: "most of the articles criticizing him are from conservative websites. Let me know when an independent (or even liberal) publication criticizes him" I'm far from conservative. I'm also public school born and bred with both of my parents having been public school teachers and administrators. My concerns are not what PEG (or the district) is trying to do, it's HOW they go about doing it and the approach they take toward race. Again, I need to become better informed myself, but the materials ON THEIR OWN website (PEG's) cause me significant pause. That and the "Be Aware of Your Whiteness" sign hanging in my daughter's ELEMENTARY school. Seriously. These are 5, 6, 7 year olds. I don't understand why we would want to point out our racial and cultural differences in a way that is making a young child feel guilty for being white. I guess I just don't understand the approach and what statements like that mean or are trying to accomplish, and so it is my job as a parent to get more involved.
SonnyDog09
Mon, May 10, 2010 : 7:42 a.m.
I'm curious as to why it takes until May of 2010 to see statistics on graduation rates in 2009? Why does it take nearly an entire year to publish these statistics?
Chris Blackstone
Mon, May 10, 2010 : 5:27 a.m.
Basic Bob, You may want to reconsider your comment about Arlington, VA not being "a place I would use as a model for our community." Arlington place ALL 4 of its high schools in the top 137 of the nation's public schools according to Newsweek (http://www.newsweek.com/id/201160/) while the entire state of Michigan has one in the top 443. Arlington is a very diverse district, with students from 127 countries and 105 different languages spoken by students (http://www.apsva.us/154010716144517/site/default.asp), that has shown a commitment to that diversity by providing two Spanish-language immersion elementary schools, something I wish Ann Arbor would offer. Ann Arbor and Arlington are are both districts in the Minority Student Achievement Network (http://www.msanetwork.org/districts/byName.aspx), which indicates some similarities. I know all of this because I worked for the Arlington, VA Public Schools for 7 years. It is an excellent district with students that come from all backgrounds, as evidenced by these Free and Reduced Lunch Statistics (http://www.apsva.us/15401081104241813/blank/browse.asp?a=383&BMDRN=2000&BCOB=0&c=54554). Arlington is a model that Ann Arbor should follow, of transparent, open administration with a commitment to high-quality instruction and a willingness to provide varied instructional opportunities to their students. One thing that I must mention as a significant difference between the districts is that Virginia is a "right to work" state. I assume, but have no data to back up, that the flexibility that provides to the district enables them to be more nimble with opportunities for students.
FreedomLover
Mon, May 10, 2010 : 3:36 a.m.
I don't care how much money you take from the wealthy and give to the schools and the poor, this situation is not going to change until you change the environment that the poor children are growing up in. When the parents don't care about education for their children and in most cases there are no fathers or role models in the lives of these children, they are not going to put any effort into learning. Our welfare system has made the government the provider for the poor and the government has taken the place of the father. Anyone can get an education if they have the encouragement and self discipline to do so. I have a friend/coworker who is a minority, grew up in a poor family, pregnant and kicked out of the house at 16. Had her baby in a homeless shelter. Today she is the mother of 5, works 3 jobs, is almost finished with her bachelor's degree at EMU and is planning on enrolling in grad school. Most importantly, she is very involved with the education of her children and pushes them to do their best. If she can do it, anyone can! And there is a father in the home who works! Some people just shouldn't be allowed to raise children.
Monica R-W
Mon, May 10, 2010 : 12:22 a.m.
http://www.annarbor.com/community/community_wall/race_relations_and_washtenaw_county_public_schools/ This article is closely related to my blog (Community Wall Post) on a similar subject. The graduation rate for both Ypsilanti and Willow Run Public School (especially) is quite sad. Until the county as a whole face the underlying "Race Relations" pink elephant in the room....nothing will change the status quo noted above in this article.
Andrew Thomas
Sun, May 9, 2010 : 10:40 p.m.
@ A2flow: You just hit the nail right on the head. I have seen no hard data to support PEG's claim that their approach actually works. The same could be said for many interventions. With all the research resources we have available in this town, you would think that it would not be difficult to set up some outcome studies. Otherwise, we end up endlessly debating the programs on the basis of ideology, rather than fact.
Andrew Thomas
Sun, May 9, 2010 : 10:32 p.m.
I heard Mr. Singleton's presentation at the BOE study group a couple of weeks ago. Based on what I heard directly from him, I would say that a number of people are distorting his message. He is definitely not about raising black students at the expense of white students. He also does not deny or minimize the role that socioeconomic status plays in academic achievement. His point is that, even when you control for socioeconomic status, there is still a significant gap between the achievement of white and black, Hispanic and native American students. You may disagree with him on certain points, but before everyone jumps on the bandwagon to dump PEG, let's look at what they are actually trying to do, not other people's interpretations of what they are trying to do. And by the way, why should it be a choice between working on the black/white achievement gap and working on the haves/have-nots achievement gap? They are not mutually exclusive, and if you check into what AA{S is actually doing, they are clearly working on both.
stopfoodignorance
Sun, May 9, 2010 : 10:28 p.m.
So why dont we stop being "oh im black or oh im a white kid in Ypsi who likes to bang instead of going to class and get high and just hang out" and make their parents accountable for this problem?" I grew up in Liberty Square when it was a terrible place to call home. For many years I thought what I wanted to do was be a drug dealer. However, I have made my way back to my home town and I think we need to help these kids because if we arent the role models for the at rick youth...how can we help the kids who have a chance? you have to take EVERYONE on the same ride as everyone else. So dont be mad when ur kids r failing when U wont take the initiative to help ur own people
a2flow
Sun, May 9, 2010 : 10:22 p.m.
Mun, I can even accept that the sites may not be entirely objective, but very few are. But what of the policies for the district? Since we are paying this guy 100K a year (PEG), where is the verified data that his policies work? How is it changing the fact that social progression is a way of life in AAPS? What interventions are being used to bring kids of all colors up to par? If you have experience with any of the schools, what is being done with truancy, failing all classes? I would like to hear what you know about reading scores, writing scores, truancy, and how all of this affects achievement. But who knows, maybe by putting institutional racism and white privilege on the walls of our schools is really the key, and reading, writing, and math don't matter. But if institutional racism and relationships are the key, does this mean that black teachers and black admins are way more successful with black students than their white counterparts? I would be interested in seeing the data that supports this.
mun
Sun, May 9, 2010 : 9:52 p.m.
I Googled Glenn Singleton and noticed most of the articles criticizing him are from conservative websites. Let me know when an independent (or even liberal) publication criticizes him
sgaltc
Sun, May 9, 2010 : 9:42 p.m.
Instead of pointing the finger of blame here and there, I would expect that Ann Arbor is one of the places in this country with the brains, talent, and community resources to come up with an innovative program that can increase the graduation rate for ALL students, regardless of race, income level, or any other factor. Are Ann Arbor / Washtenaw County schools developing any solutions? Mentoring programs/coaching programs? Working one-on-one with kids at risk of dropping out to find out what they need? Free tutoring after school Monday-Friday? What can we do as a community to keep kids in school and impress upon them the value of a good education? There are some programs out there like the Neutral Zone that try to help with tutoring, but some kids either won't go or can't because they have transportation issues. I have seen some teachers work very hard to help kids in school by providing extra help during lunch hours and after school, but that's just one class here and there, not the whole shebang. Is anyone working on a solution? If you have a program with a link, please post it so that interested community members can get involved.
sgaltc
Sun, May 9, 2010 : 9:30 p.m.
Instead of pointing the fingers of blame here and there, I would expect that Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County would be one of the few places to develop a cutting edge program to boost graduation rates of all students, regardless of race, income level, or any other factor. How can we as a community do something? Parents and teachers can help, but sometimes students don't want to ask a parent for help for whatever reason. I've seen A2 teachers work very hard to keep kids in school, but helping kids to pass one class is only one class, not the whole shebang. Is anyone in the school system developing a mentoring or coaching program? Is anyone working one-on-one with the kids who are close to dropping out to find out what they need to stay in school? The Neutral Zone and various resources are out there, but it's not always easy for students to get to these places unless they live on AATA bus routes or parents help with transportation. If anyone has a path to a solution - perhaps a school administrator, counselor, or non-profit, please post a link to your program so that interested community members can help keep kids motivated and in school.
Basic Bob
Sun, May 9, 2010 : 9:28 p.m.
@a2flow, Not exactly fair and balanced reporting on Mr. Singleton. The website you linked is just a bunch of teaparty tripe. I will form my own opinion on his methods. They may be part of a balanced approach to solving the problem. Arlington, VA is not really a place I would use as a model for our community.
a2flow
Sun, May 9, 2010 : 9:18 p.m.
Anneb, I felt the same way when I walked into a school and saw "white privilege." This would imply that all whites have privilege. It has a decidedly racist overtone to it. What of the white students (people) that are also lower-income? Are they also privy to this club of high-fives and the good ole boy network that is often implied? Of course not. A well educated, highly paid black man would be more likely to hang out with white people (if he chooses to) of the same social order than a white man that lived in a trailer park. The affluent folk of any color will likely have more in common with one another than with their poorer counterparts. I do feel that some of the race-based policies run deep in the district (has anyone asked why we have a disproportionate share of central and building level administrators that are black?), and I wonder why at the deepest levels of this district they are failing to address core structural needs and instead seek to skew the data. I am strongly opposed to some of the things I see in this district. I would love to hear the rationale of why kids are socially progressed without the basic skills from one grade to the next in the lower grades and how this best serves the kids' interest. Of course, at some point (i.e., high school) students' lack of skills catch up with them and then there is no way to pass (or very difficult to say the least). How many kids are held back or required to be brought up to expectations from K-8? In my experience, social progression in the lower grades has been the norm not the exception.
letsgoblue
Sun, May 9, 2010 : 8:51 p.m.
I will be the first to admit that I am not fully informed on the issue, but I think that the comments by a2flow and some others about PEG / Glenn Singleton are worth understanding better by our community. I don't know if this is everywhere in the district, but the signs I've seen in my child's elementary school related to his Courageous Conversations book has some statements (related to "whiteness") that I personally find disturbing, inappropriate, and alarmingly counter-productive.
aareader
Sun, May 9, 2010 : 8:36 p.m.
Over the last few days I remember that someone on these posts made the comment that seems to be supported by the data above... that poverty is the real determiner of graduation rates. Therefore support directed to students in poverty (minorities or not) would appear to be the better approach for raising graduation rates. The challenge is how to do it so everyone involved wins.
mun
Sun, May 9, 2010 : 8:34 p.m.
Steven Harper Piziks said "The parents and the community are a huge factor in graduation rates." Exactly, because notice that the Chelsea High School graduation rate increased. In that article, Students at Chelsea High School feel connected to their school and community, said Chelsea High School Principal Julie Deppner. There is a strong sense of belonging as evidenced by the high participation rates in extra-curricular activities and excellent attendance."
a2flow
Sun, May 9, 2010 : 8:15 p.m.
RxDx, My post could have been more clear in some instances. I was in a hurry and my apologies. More than anything, I would like everyone to consider why we are hiring him and what results others are getting. Here is one site, talking about the issues of using Glenn Singleton: http://www.openmarket.org/2007/12/12/glenn-singletons-racism-and-the-arlington-public-schools/ And another, quoting George Fornero, our previous superintendent. http://www.illinoisfamily.org/dsa/contentview.asp?c=34417 "As was the case in the spring of 2008, our non-English speaking students were once again asked to demonstrate their academic abilities by taking the ACT and the WorkKey assessments in English. And once again, despite taking the test seriously and despite working for hours longer than other students to complete it, when these students receive their results next fall, they will all fail"
RxDx
Sun, May 9, 2010 : 7:21 p.m.
I don't disagree with much that A2flow has to say, but I did Google PEG Glenn Singleton lawsuits and didn't find much. I've been to a large number of Glenn Singleton's presentations, and he has some important things to say. There are also a lot of parts to the problem that he doesn't understand. If someone had the answer, she would be a hero. One of the premises of PEG is that it is a problem of race and not SES. They also present some fairly bogus data that makes it look like the gap is a problem of race and not SES. Race is an important part of the equation and SES does not account for all of the achievement gap. But unless we are going to be honest about the problem, we will always be trying to solve the wrong problem.
eom
Sun, May 9, 2010 : 7:17 p.m.
WLD wrote: "There Are two (2) problems that are causing this: 1.)Public School system 2.)Teacher Unions." Is it just me or are stories about education ONLY written for the purpose of teaching bashing? I am so surprised by how many people don't seem to care about the actual problem, they only care to demean a profession and those who are in it. I'm a teacher. I teach kids of all abilities and backgrounds How does the union prevent me from doing my job well? How does the union make the kids in my class have a disadvantage to those in Florida or Texas (states who don't have unions)? For the love of Pete, do some research people! Check out how THOSE states are doing! I am proud to be an Ann Arbor teacher. I am proud to have gone through the system myself - and grateful to all of the teachers (who were also in a union) who taught me. The kids who Charter schools won't take - we take them because we are public and HAVE to take them. Guess what?! Not only do I enjoy teaching ALL kinds of kids, even the kids that are hard to deal with, but my union doesn't prevent me from teaching any of those kids either! I truly wish AA.COM hadn't become an "accident" that I just can't quite help looking at...it takes a lot out of you to have community members constantly bash you and the profession you love.
a2flow
Sun, May 9, 2010 : 6:47 p.m.
Thanks Mr. Jesse for writing an article challenging the current race-based policies of AAPS. As someone that works within AAPS, I strongly disagree with the district's stance of using race as a means of segregrating students. Students of all races fail and are impoverished to varying degrees, and the simplistic argument that it is one of white vs. black is not appropriate. As far as the curriculum is not rigorous enough and students drop out because they are bored, I would also strongly disagree. Where is your proof? For high achieving students, there are numerous AP and accelerated classes. If the school system is so poor, why do we have so many students with perfect ACT score? On another note, unfortunately at the high school level the advanced classes/AP courses does lead to a degree of academic tracking, which can lead to less rigorous curriculum in these classes due to the academic tracking. The biggest issue I see facing kids (low SES) is that they cannot see any future. Kids that grow up in low income housing, where education is not strongly valued (or applied) are more likely to not see the value in working hard in school. In years passed, I have had conversations with some of our poorer students and they literally cannot see a future in which education plays any part. It's either sports, singing, or some other career (or no career at all) that most people likely will not be able to accomplish. And the other point that was good, how can anyone expect these kids to worry about school when some are watching their brothers and sisters as young as 11 years old? There is a huge disparity in Ann Arbor between the haves and the have nots. But that doesn't mean that race-based initiatives are the answer. Say NO to Glenn Singleton and his divisive approach. How do you all feel about paying 100K a year for this privilege? Are you sure we are getting our money worth? For more information, read up on issues with PEG nationwide. Google PEG Glenn Singleton lawsuits and it will put you on the path.
Steven Harper Piziks
Sun, May 9, 2010 : 5:48 p.m.
WLD1 can't provide any such proof. He's just raving and knows it. I live in Willow Run, which seems to have the lowest graduation rate in the county, and I'm very active in my son's high school education. I've learned the students at WRHS practically run amock. My son reports near-daily fights in the hall, huge class sizes, and students who rarely quiet down long enough for the teachers to teach. (At the Homecoming game, a fight broke out between two pregnant students and the police had to close down the field while they sorted everything out.) When I go to parent-teacher conferences, I find the cafeteria nearly deserted--few parents attend. More than one teacher has expressed surprise at how often I check on my son's progress and one teacher thanked me for being so involved. Is it any wonder so few students finish high school at Willow Run? The parents and the community are a huge factor in graduation rates.
sh1
Sun, May 9, 2010 : 5:12 p.m.
WLD1: Could you please site the source for the "cure" for graduation stats being "choice"? And that public schools can only handle "average" kids? (What about all those AP classes, for example?)
Edward R. Murrow's ghost
Sun, May 9, 2010 : 4:34 p.m.
WLD1 wrote: "There Are two (2) problems that are causing this: 1.)Public School system 2.)Teacher Unions." You have to be kidding me. As for 1), you apparently didn't notice the other article in A2.com today that showed the very poor graduation rate at Washtenaw Technical Middle College, a charter school. The fact of the matter is that private and charter schools do no better than public schools when one control for socio-economic factors and for race. As for teachers unions causing the achievement gap--this is absolutely laughable. How can that unions are responsible for white students having higher graduation rates than black students? Nope. No logic there. Just fiction-based teacher bashing.
Basic Bob
Sun, May 9, 2010 : 4:06 p.m.
I'm waiting for the teaparty to respond that it wouldn't be fair to treat poor kids any differently from rich kids. Or cost effective. I'm waiting for the teachers to respond that it's not their fault, but that if we keep up the pay raises things won't get worse. I think we can expect "declining social mobility" for our children as a result of the loss of wealth creation. (mainly manufacturing jobs) While some manufacturing jobs require little skill, others require a high level of education and experience. When we decide to send all our unskilled work to Japan and China, the skilled work goes with it. What's left is a zero-sum game, just passing money and property around but creating no added value in which the entire society benefits. When we buy foreign automobiles, the profits are used to further weaken our economy and our technical ability. When we choose to employ illegal and legal foreign workers to do our jobs for us, we give them OUR future. As poverty increases and education decreases, some people will wonder why the government doesn't fix the problem. But ultimately it is up to us. What kind of future do you want for our country?
DagnyJ
Sun, May 9, 2010 : 4:06 p.m.
There are so many opportunities in this district for affluent kids, it isn't funny. Particularly in high school. There are many AP courses that are rigorous and demanding. There are lots of opportunities to do service work. And for a mere $6000, you could send your kid with the HS Humanities class to Italy for a week during spring break. It's a terrific trip with lots of learning. But it is mighty expensive. For more, take a look at Community, a high school dedicated to motivated kids who want something other than other high schools. Community is overwhelmingly white and affluent, and also kicks out kids who misbehave, sending them back to the regular high schools. Several kids were tossed out this year, sent back to Huron. Yes, AAPS offers a lot to affluent, white kids.
lorayn
Sun, May 9, 2010 : 4 p.m.
Many people in A2 are totally blind to the social class divide that exists in this city. Most middle and upper income residents are oblivious to the fact that there is a low income population in our city. In fact, in my experience as a parent whose children attended public schools, most upper income parents did what they could to isolate their kids from lower income children. Just because lower income kids are attending a strong public school district, doesn't mean that they are always able to benefit from the resources that exist here. For example, some of the activities in our public schools -- from field trips to sports and theater programs -- require parental donations for participation. Most of the upper income parents I know had paid tutors, summer enrichment programs, music lessons, etc. for their kids. At least one I know paid top dollar for a "college advisor" who helped his children complete their applications. Lower income parents care about their children's education, but often don't have the means or time to invest in all of the "extras" that have become more important for kids as they go through school
Bridget Bly
Sun, May 9, 2010 : 3:32 p.m.
Just another opportunity to bash teachers and the public school system, eh? I'm on the other side. The public school system has served this country extremely well. Public education is founded on the idea that while not everyone can afford to educate their children privately, it is in the interest of the state for all children to be educated. We pay taxes to support education of others because it is in our interest, in other words. Maybe we can do better by low-income children, but for sure they are much better off in public schools than their counterparts were in the private-school world that preceded the US public school system. We all are.
WLD1
Sun, May 9, 2010 : 3:07 p.m.
There Are two (2) problems that are causing this: 1.)Public School system 2.)Teacher Unions. The Cure is School Vouchers, but unions are scared of them. The public school system is not equipped to handle students with special need that includes students that are slower, or accelerated (Bluntly, Dumber or Smarter then average). Students that come from broken or abusive homes. They are only capable of dealing with AVERAGE students. That holds back a lot of people. Just like the people I know that got their GED which is a Good Enough Diploma to get into an average college/community college then transfer into a good college. They got a GED @ 16 because the public school system was to slow for them they were to smart for the school system and were getting bored and skipping school. The Teacher unions are only worried about making money, the more the union workers get paid the more the union makes. Where does the money the public school teachers make come from, OUR TAXES. I am Sorry I do not want to pay more taxes. I am already paying $7500 a year in taxes for my 1400 sq ft house on 75'x50' piece of property. Average teacher should start off at $35,000 yr. and retire at $70,000yr. Goes to the analogy if you have a Budget of $200 per day per class if you Hire a teacher @ $20 per hour you will only be able to hire one of you hire them at $10 an hour you can hire two and have two smaller classes giving more attention to each student. Greed is hurting our kids. Money is why teacher unions are scared of school vouchers. They know that many people will send their kids to a private school that has no union affiliation. Even though the private school could be better for them and may make the difference of whether their kids become juvenile delinquent or not. I think people need to open their eyes and look at things as they are. And not listen to "cults" like the unions, democrats, republicans. Just be independent and think for themselves.
DagnyJ
Sun, May 9, 2010 : 2:04 p.m.
Another piece of this story is what percentage of blacks in Ann Arbor live in poverty, versus white/Asians. I suspect that if a child is black he is more likely to be disadvantaged in terms of family income.
Dan
Sun, May 9, 2010 : 1:35 p.m.
Of course they have lower graduation rates: there's absolutely no incentive for success. This isn't because success isn't enticing, rather because, for kids in that income bracket, success as it has been tought to them is largely unobtainable. According to the April 17-23rd issue of The Economist, social mobility in the US has stagnated or even declined in the last 30 years, while at the same time, the divide between rich and poor has grown wider and more pronounced than ever before. The greatest indicator of a student's future success, according to The Economist, is no longer individual initiative, or even a good education: it's their ability (or inablility) to access networks of exclusive and nepotistic avenues of opportunity, and generational wealth. The wealthy can afford to send their kids to private schools while bank rolling political efforts to undermine and destroy public systems (thank you Albert Berriz for helping to shoot down our educational millage increase last November!). All this while the wealthy secure an ever stronger grip on the reigns of power in our society, what point is there for these students to succeed? There is little hope for them. Even the factory jobs which once offered hope to them have been eliminated, thanks mostly to union-busting efforts by the wealthy. The moral of the story? Poor kids won't succeed because the deck is stacked against them, and they probably shouldn't even try. What's the point, after all, of expending huge amounts of personal energy to try and overcome a system which expends incomprable amounts of effort to service the wealthy at the expense of the poor? For poor kids, these schools are basically just "prison-prep programs", because the only way most of these poor kids will ever serve a meaningful purpose to rich folks is working slave-labor in the U.S. prison system, which again thanks largely to the political influence of wealthy and powerful folks like Berriz, is per capita the largest in the world. Land of the free indeed.