Worth A Pat On The Back
When everyone is talking about woes in New Jersey public schools, do not forget that we have one of the best in the country. I'd love to hear from the governor to cheer for Chris Christie and then.
New Jersey has the highest graduation rate in the nation, according to a recent report by Education Week, a trade journal. About 87 percent of our graduate students. And only four other states have higher increases than the graduation rate that we did from 1998 to 2008, year of data studied.
It's not all. New Jersey is also better than other states on issues of implementation, the biggest gap with Hispanic students and African-American graduate.
Of course, I could still do better: the differences between races and ethnic groups remain deep. Our graduation rate for white students was 90.9 percent, while for black students it was 72.6 percent for Hispanic students, 68 percent.
The cities also struggle disproportionately with apostasy, statistics show. Across the country, districts have a scale of about 61 percent below the national average of about 72 percent, according to a report by Education Week earlier. Some say it is worse in Newark. Former Superintendent Clifford Janey calculated the graduation rate in 2010 55 percent.
However, nationally, being the best is certainly something to celebrate. Our graduation rates are essential not only for children but also for the state's business climate. The graduates have a higher income level and can contribute more to our skilled workforce, currently estimated by Forbes magazine as the 20 in the nation - solidly in the first half of the states.
Give thanks to our public schools, because education is a big part of that.
