New study says Richmond School Administration significantly overstating the High School graduation rate

Goldman for Mayor - 20 June 2008 - For Immediate Release: Contact, 804-833-6313


New study funded in part by the Gates Foundation and published on the highly respected "Education Week" magazine's online site analyzes data from around the country

"Given the results of what is surely the most comprehensive study of graduation rates not just in Virginia but every Congressional district in America, it appears the graduation rate claimed by the Richmond Public School Administration is considered significantly inflated by objective, national education experts."

"We can't move Richmond forward when you have to go back and back again to recheck the basic numbers claimed by the School Administration, City Hall and City Council"

(Richmond) - Paul Goldman, candidate for Mayor, said today that "it is time the School Administration, along with City Hall and City Council, are all taught the most basic lesson of all: inflating things to make yourself look good only makes matters worse for citizens you are expected to serve."

In a statement Goldman continued:

"How can we move Richmond forward when we constantly have to go back and back to check on the basic things claimed by those responsible in government?

Let me quote from this new report:

"Analyses conducted for Diplomas Count by the EPE Research Center also continue to show wide disparities between state-reported graduation rates and the center’s estimates"

First, we learn that the basic formula used in Virginia - so this is not just a Richmond problem, but actually one shared by 32 states - significantly - and knowingly - overstates graduation rates.

Second, we learn that this "wide disparity" may actually be wider still for Richmond although this can not be definitively determined by the statistics in this new study.

It is not possible to make the best policy decisions regarding the future of education in Richmond by using bad statistics.

This new report points to several fundamental changes that can be made to help improve our ability to make the right decisions moving forward.

In that regard, it must also be noted that the report indicates that State Education officials have not done all they need to do, and should do, to assist local school districts in setting the necessary standards of measurement.

As Mayor, I pledge to work with school officials and state officials to get the job done, for to do less is to let down the students, their parents, and all the school teachers and officials who work so hard every day to achieve the full progress we all want for our children.

In addition, I should add that if City Hall and City Council had acted several years ago on my "City of the Future" plan's commitment to vocational education, and if city government and the School Administration will move quickly on my proposal for a first-in-the-nation charter school for Vocational Education, then we will be able to add hundreds and hundreds of students to the graduation honor roll."

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