According to information provided by authors:
James J. Heckman and Paul A. LaFontaine
abstract, (found onHigh School Graduation Rates
econlog.econlib.org, posting of Dec. 20th,'07)
" ...the U.S. high school graduation rate peaked at around 80 percent in the late 1960s and then declined by 4-5 percentage points; (2) the actual high school graduation rate is substantially lower than the 88 percent estimate of the status completion rate issued by the NCES; (3) about 65 percent of blacks and Hispanics leave school with a high school diploma and minority graduation rates are still substantially below the rates for non-Hispanic whites. In fact, we find no evidence of convergence in minority-majority graduation rates over the past 35 years."
..Not only is most of the convergence in male minority high school completion rates to those of whites due to higher GED certification rates among minorities, but a substantial portion of these credentials is produced in the prison system....The estimated graduation rate is biased upward by 7.7 percentage points when GED recipients are counted as high school graduates. The bias is larger for males than females due to high rate of GED certification in prisons among males...Excluding GED recipients lowers minority graduation rates more than majority rates."
JB draws conclusions: These results are exceedingly contrary to the prediction of the pro-diversity, that we are strengthened and enriched by continual increase of openness to diversity. America is one of the very few countries not to have made considerable progress on this metric, of larger proportions graduating high school and on academic track during the last 40 years. If diversity were valuable in the manner advertised, how could the more-diversifying jurisdiction be retarded in its progress relative to the less-diversifying one? What is seen actually is a randomization of quality of population towards the mean of the world and below. Enemies of America have cause to delight in this, and could be expected to applaud the further valuing of diversity here.
2 comments:
I for one would like to see would-be high school graduates have to pass a ninth-grade level test in mathematics, basic science, reading and comprehension, and basic history before recieving a degree.
If you have dealt with applicants who supposedly have a high school degree from inner city high schools (and some folks who supposedly have degrees from certain colleges that cater to minorities), you would know what Im talking about when I say that you are sometimes shocked by what they apparently do not know. We have hired some whom I swear dont know as much math or physics or have the ability to process information as well as your average middle school kid from the burbs'. Yet there they sit, with a degree.
I think teachers just sometimes pass these kids whether they have the grades or not. I know, I know, ......standardized testing is "racist"..........
As you say, the HS diploma can be more easily come by, so the situation is actually worse than what the statistics imply. It shows up on international comparisons where an amazing racism of standardized testing gives high rankings to many Asian countries.
Post a Comment