The Nation’s Report Card, “Public High School Graduation Rate” & Ryan Park’s and Catherine Gewertz’s Articles

PART 1 LINKS + REFERENCES:

1. Access The Nation’s Report Card via the link below: “2015 | Mathematics & Reading at Grade 12.”

https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/reading_math_g12_2015/#/

2. In “2015 | Mathematics & Reading at Grade 12,” scroll down the screen until you come to two brown boxes with these words in them: “Explore Mathematics Results” and “Explore Reading Results.” Click on each box, and study statistics for these major racial groups: Asians, Whites, Hispanics, and Blacks. Determine how proficient each racial group is in mathematics and reading, and how each group compares to the other three groups, in terms of what academic achievement gaps exist between the different racial groups.

Example:

Asians + Achievement Gap Between Asians and Other Racial Groups

In Mathematics, Asians score 47% proficient. If we subtract this number from the total number of Asians–100%–then we learn that 53% of Asians are NOT proficient in Mathematics, as 100 – 47 = 53. In Reading, Asians score 49% proficient, so we learn that 51% of Asians are NOT proficient in mathematics, as 100 – 49 = 51. On a standard grading scale of 1 to 100, Asians would score an F grade in both Mathematics and Reading. However, Asians are 15% to 40% more proficient than Whites, Hispanics, and Blacks in Mathematics, and from 3% to 32% more proficient in Reading.

Take notes about findings like these–which you should make in this discovery process. You should understand what grade each racial group would score on a standard grading scale of 1 to 100, and what academic achievement gaps exist among these groups.

3. Study the record-breaking National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) “Public High School Graduation Rate” in the link below:

https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_coi.asp

4. Read Ryan Park’s 2018 The New York Times article “The Last of the Tiger Parents” in the link below:

5. Read Education Week staff writer Catherine Gewertz’s 2018 article “High School Diploma Criteria Fall Short, Study Finds” in the link below:

PART 2 ESSAY INSTRUCTIONS:

6. In a multi-paragraph essay of 1,000 words (4 pages – paragraphs should vary in length), share your findings, thoughts, feelings, and ideas about The Nation’s Report Card, the record-breaking high school graduation rate that the NCES reports, and Gewertz’s and Park’s articles. Ponder THESE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS in your essay:

– Did the low statistics in The Nation’s Report Card surprise you–because the U.S. has the reputation of being the most advanced nation on Earth?

– Did you expect Whites to score higher than all other racial groups? If so, why? Is it because they are the majority racial group in our nation, as this Quick Facts

– How does the record-breaking high school graduation rate correlate (Links to an external site.) withThe Nation’s Report Card statistics–or does it?

– Why do you think that Asians score highest; does Ryan Park’s June 22, 2018, New York Times article “The Last of the Tiger Parents” help to explain why Asians score highest, and what are the takeaways for parents from Park’s article? Are only teachers and students responsible for student success?

– What are your thoughts about this fact: 12th graders (high school seniors) of every racial group attending a public high school scores below 50% proficient in Mathematics and Reading–or F grades on a standard grading scale of 1 to 100?

– What effect does poverty have on a child’s academic success?

As you study statistics in this report, do a little math, and remember that …
A figure like 10.1% of Whites living in poverty may seem low, but it’s 10.1% of 60.4% (Whites not of Hispanic origin) of the overall U.S. population of 327,167,434 (Links to an external site.) people, and 327,167,434 x 60.4% / 100 = 197,609,130.13 people, and 197,609,130.13 x 10.1% / 100 = 19,958,522.14 Whites living in poverty, or almost 20 million people. There are more White people living in poverty than any other racial group.
But … Blacks are only 13.4% of the overall population, or 327,167,434 x 13.4% / 100 = 43,840,436.15 people, and 20.8% of Blacks live in poverty. So 20.8% x 43,840,436.15 / 100 = 9,118,810.71 Black people living in poverty. Approximately 10 million more Whites live in poverty than Blacks, but … if we subtract 20.8% of Blacks living in poverty by 10.1% of Whites living in poverty we have 10.7, which means that Blacks are 2.7 times more likely to live in poverty than Whites.