After attending a few school committee debates this year, a few candidates remarked that Lynn's stats (test scores, dropout rate, etc.) are "not that bad." Every candidate, like every citizen, is entitled to his or her opinion, but this seems like a somewhat weak assessment of the Lynn Public Schools particularly in light of the way that some voters feel about the school system and the school committee (see here).
Of all the education related data out there, the dropout rate appears to be one statistic (in addition to MCAS proficiency rates) that parents and citizens care about most. So where does Lynn stand in comparison to other communities in regards to its dropout rate? Below is a list of the 31 districts (including charter school districts) with the highest dropout rates in Massachusetts for the 2009-10 school (which is the most recent data available) along with the actual number of dropouts and the total high school enrollment; Lynn's information is highlighted in yellow.
Rate | # | Total High School Population | |
Boston Day & Evening Charter | 41.20% | 115 | 279 |
Phoenix Charter Academy | 37.80% | 62 | 164 |
Lowell Middlesex Academy Charter | 33.10% | 40 | 121 |
Provincetown | 23.50% | 12 | 51 |
Springfield | 10.50% | 737 | 7,031 |
Academy of Strategic Learning Charter | 10.20% | 5 | 49 |
Holyoke | 9.50% | 186 | 1,963 |
Lawrence | 9.40% | 311 | 3,297 |
Ralph C Mahar Regional | 8.70% | 42 | 482 |
New Bedford | 8.10% | 237 | 2,941 |
Rockland | 7.80% | 45 | 580 |
New Leadership Charter | 7.10% | 15 | 210 |
Boston | 6.80% | 1,196 | 17,498 |
Athol-Royalston | 6.60% | 31 | 469 |
Fitchburg | 6.40% | 86 | 1,335 |
Haverhill | 6.40% | 117 | 1,839 |
North Adams | 6.20% | 31 | 500 |
Waltham | 6.20% | 88 | 1,414 |
Oxford | 5.80% | 32 | 548 |
Somerville | 5.60% | 76 | 1,352 |
Brockton | 5.50% | 235 | 4,287 |
Chicopee | 5.50% | 149 | 2,713 |
North Central Essential Charter | 5.50% | 13 | 238 |
Southbridge | 5.50% | 23 | 418 |
Franklin | 5.40% | 88 | 1,622 |
Lynn | 5.40% | 215 | 4,010 |
Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter | 5.10% | 14 | 274 |
Adams-Cheshire | 5% | 22 | 436 |
Spencer-East Brookfield | 5% | 24 | 483 |
Webster | 5% | 27 | 545 |
Lowell | 4.40% | 145 | 3,290 |
Indeed, there are districts in Massachusetts with much higher dropout rates than Lynn. Still, it is disheartening to know that approximately 215 students are leaving school each year in Lynn without receiving a diploma. The dropout rate (5.4%) along with the graduation rate (68.5%) are an indication that there is a serious need for improvement in making sure that all students in Lynn on the road to at least a high school diploma.
BUT...
To look on the bright side, Lynn's dropout rate overall has declined in the last few years which is a positive sign.
BUT...
To look on the bright side, Lynn's dropout rate overall has declined in the last few years which is a positive sign.
Lynn (District)
| 05-06 | 06-07 | 07-08 | 08-09 | 09-10 | |
| Dropout Rate | 5.3% | 5.4% | 5.8% | 6.1% | 5.4% |
| # Dropouts | 231 | 235 | 245 | 249 | 215 |
| Total High School Enrollment | 4,366 | 4,331 | 4,244 | 4,084 | 4,010 |
Lynn Classical
Lynn Classical has seen its dropout remain stable over the past four years.
| 05-06 | 06-07 | 07-08 | 08-09 | 09-10 | |
| Dropout Rate | 4.2% | 3.2% | 3.3% | 3.3% | 3.4% |
| # Dropouts | 64 | 43 | 42 | 41 | 44 |
| Total High School Enrollment | 1,526 | 1,365 | 1,268 | 1,225 | 1,295 |
Lynn English
Lynn English's dropout did increase in 2009-10, but remained relatively stable (and low) before that.
| 05-06 | 06-07 | 07-08 | 08-09 | 09-10 | |
| Dropout Rate | 3.8% | 3.8% | 2.8% | 3.6% | 4.8% |
| # Dropouts | 58 | 63 | 46 | 62 | 83 |
| Total High School Enrollment | 1,527 | 1,671 | 1,635 | 1,705 | 1,728 |
Lynn Tech
Lynn Tech's dropout rate decreased in 2009-10 after hitting its highest dropout rate over a 10 year period (2001- 2010) in 2007-08.
| 05-06 | 06-07 | 07-08 | 08-09 | 09-10 | |
| Dropout Rate | 6% | 7.7% | 8.8% | 7.5% | 7.1% |
| # Dropouts | 69 | 86 | 103 | 80 | 63 |
| Total High School Enrollment | 1,153 | 1,118 | 1,165 | 1,066 | 882 |
So, while the Lynn Public School System could make specific improvements that decrease the dropout rate and increase the number of students receiving a high school diploma, the district as a whole seems to be moving in the right direction regarding this issue. Perhaps, saying that it's "not that bad" is not the best way to describe the current state of the LPS, but maybe we are not in the absolute downward spiral educationally, at least with regard to dropout rates, as people, both inside and outside of Lynn, tend to think.
All Data Taken From: http://www.doe.mass.edu/infoservices/reports/dropout/
Flip through enough of the 99 percent signs and you realize that the majority of that demographic aren't complaining about the lack of financial regulation or income inequalities, so much as they're upset that they took on loans to pay for college degrees to get jobs that don't actually exist.
ReplyDeleteThe fault here isn't Wall Street's, it's a policymaking apparatus that decided the way to deal with the loss of manufacturing jobs was to get as many college graduates out there as possible to create the industries of tomorrow.
This was Clinton's platform and it's Obama's "Winning the Future" platform, pump enough money into education and the jobs will create themselves. The Dot Com boom in the nineties seemed to back up that policy with entirely new companies springing to life with valuations in the hundreds of millions and twenty somethings at the helm. But a good deal of those companies were nothing more than the foam on another bubble-- and more problematically the cream of the tech companies were created by college dropouts. Even more problematically, the tech companies liked to save money by importing Chinese and Pakistani employees on H1-B visas as cheap labor, while their lobbies insisted that this would protect "American" innovation.
But the real problem was that swapping manufacturing for college degree jobs solved nothing.
I would agree with you especially considering that bachelor degrees are so common these days that they are not worth as much now as they used to be; a master's degree is the new bachelor's.
ReplyDeleteDespite this, many guidance counselors, teachers, etc. are still pushing college as the best option for students. Vocational training like that provided at Tech can be just as valuable, but there have been rumblings that some guidance counselors at the middle school level actively dissuade 8th graders from attending Tech because "you won't be able to get into college." Look at Tech's declining enrollment. College acceptance/enrollment rates are the numbers people look at as an indicator of success, but what about 2 or 4 years later? Is it still success if the student has a college degree, but no job and huge debt?
A high school diploma for all is important, but maybe not necessarily college for all.