State’s rate of black grads rises

By Emily Richmond

Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2005 | 11:04 a.m.

The percentage of Nevada's black students who graduated from high school in 2002 jumped 7 percentage points over the prior year, a new report being released today shows.

In its annual study of the nation's high school graduation rates, the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank, said 66 percent of Nevada's black students earned diplomas in 2002, up from 59 percent in 2001. With the national average graduation rate for black students at 56 percent for 2002, Nevada's showing was strong enough to rank it seventh when compared to other states.

The graduation rate for Nevada's white students dropped to 75 percent in 2002, from 77 percent in the prior year.

Nevada's overall graduation rate climbed one percentage point between 2002 and 2001, to 68 percent. That put the Silver State in 34th place when compared to the rest of the nation.

"We still have a ways to go, everyone would agree about that, but we're doing better than a lot of people give us credit for," said Keith Rheault, Nevada's superintendent of public instruction.

Graduation rates are now part of Nevada's annual accountability requirements for showing "adequate yearly progress" as defined by the Legislature and the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

"There's more of a focus on graduation rates than there has ever been," Rheault said.

Marsha Irvin, superintendent of the Clark County School District's northeast region, said she believed graduation rates were rising across the board. One district initiative, to encourage more students to enroll in algebra by eighth grade, has boosted the pass rate in the class for black students, Irvin said. The district is now focusing on encouraging more students, particularly minorities, to enroll in geometry.

The northeast region, which leads the district for black student enrollment at 22.2 percent, has also adopted a "college culture initiative," urging students and parents to begin seeing post-secondary education as both attainable and valuable. The initiatives, which include tutoring, workshops and special programs, begin as early as elementary school, Irvin said.

Rheault said while he was pleased black students had shown improved graduation rates, the Manhattan Institute's formula falls short.

The Manhattan Institute's study included special education students, which may have brought down the totals, school officials said. While the state awards "adjusted" diplomas to special education students for course work allowed under federal law, the study did not count those diplomas.

It seems unfair, Rheault said, to count the special education students at the beginning of the equation but not recognize their accomplishments.

Nevada's overall graduation rate is expected to continue climbing, Rheault said.

There is concern, however, in the education community over planned cuts to federal education aid as outlined in President Bush's proposed budget, Rheault said. The president has recommended eliminating all vocational education grants, as well as several college preparatory programs.

Nevada faces the loss of $10 million annually in vocational education funding as well as millions more earmarked for tutoring and special programs for at-risk students from low-income families.

"We know there are students who only stay interested in high school because of the career programs offered," Rheault said. "It's a concern to us that we might lose (that funding) just when we're starting to see some strong results."

At the national level, New Jersey led the nation with an 89 percent graduation rate in 2002. South Carolina was last, at 53 percent.

Nationwide graduation rates have remained relatively unchanged for more than a decade, said Marcus Winters, research associate for the Manhattan Institute. In 1991 the nation's graduation rate was 72 percent, dipping to 69 percent in 1995 and then climbing back up to 71 percent in 2002.

Nevada's Hispanic student population is growing too quickly to accurately calculate graduation rates using his organization's formula, Winters said. The Manhattan Institute estimates the number of students who enter a ninth-grade class, with some adjustments for changes in population. That number is then divided into the actual number of students who earn regular diplomas four years later.

In states with fast-growing regions, such as Nevada, the formula can be skewed by surges in student enrollment, Winters said.

The Manhattan Institute's report also evaluated "college readiness" of high school graduates, determining just 32 percent of Nevada's students had completed the course work required by major university and colleges. The report echoes findings released last week by the University and Community College System of Nevada, which found 40 percent of the state's recent high school graduates required remedial education upon entering college.