by Robert Pondiscio
February 10th, 2010
Tags: advertising, Michigan, public relations
Posted in Education News | 6 Comments »
Nine Michigan school districts were named “top school districts” and featured recently on a Detroit television program on the state’s best schools. A website bestschoolsinmichigan.com also features the nine schools. How did they earn the honor? You’re guessing test scores, graduation rates, or college acceptances maybe?
Cold, hard cash.
AnnArbor.com reports the districts paid $25,000 each to a Detroit-area public relations firm to be “named.” Incredibly, officials at some of the districts quoted in the story seem to see nothing wrong with the arrangement. If the PR firm that cooked up this scheme really wants to cash in, perhaps their next program should be on Michigan’s worst schools. Think of how much they could charge schools wanting to be left out.
(H/T Bill Evers)
by Robert Pondiscio
July 29th, 2008
Tags: achievement gap, black male graduation rate, Detroit, Indianapolis, Michigan, Schott Foundation
Posted in Research and Reports | 1 Comment »
Michigan has the nation’s lowest graduation rate for black male students, while Detroit has the second-lowest rate for big-city school districts, according to a report from the Schott Foundation for Public Education. Other findings:
- The state of New York has 3 of the 10 districts (NYC, Rochester and Buffalo) with the lowest graduation rates for Black males.
- Indianapolis ranks dead last, graduating only 19% of its black male students.
- The one million black male students enrolled in the New York, Florida, and Georgia public schools are twice as likely not to graduate with their class.
- Illinois and Wisconsin have nearly 40-point gaps between “how effectively they educate their Black and White non-Hispanic male students.”
While Detroit graduates a mere 20% of its black male students, that’s actually higher than the 17% of white male students who graduate.
