EDITORIAL: Graduation rates bring welcome news

School is back in session. And the Darlington County School District is starting the year on a positive and an encouraging note.

High school graduation rates in Darlington County’s public schools are on the rise. According to a report presented to the county Board of Education by Superintendent of Education Dr. Rainey Knight on Aug. 10, the percentage of seniors graduating from district high schools rose from 68 percent in 2006 to 82 percent in 2008, an increase of 14 percentage points.

“I am pleased to see that,” Dr. Knight told the board.

That means that eight out of every 10 students who walk into the district’s schools graduate on time, Dr. Knight said.

That increase puts the district beyond its goal of reaching a graduation rate of 80 percent by 2010. It also puts the district’s rate well above the state rate of 75 percent for that same year.

A lot of hard work by teachers and principals and others went into achieving that improvement, and they deserve much credit.

“I think people just paid closer attention to what they needed to be paying attention to,” Dr. Knight said. That might mean focusing on high school exit exams and end of course exams, or identifying areas of weakness for some students and getting them the additional academic help they needed, or just making sure children were in school when they needed to be in school, she said.

When you break down the figures and look at graduation rates for subgroups of students, the news is also encouraging with gains across the board.

Perhaps most notably, the historic gap that has existed for years between graduation rates for white and black students closed sharply from 2006 to 2008 in the district.

In 2006, the percentage of white students graduating from district schools stood at 75 percent, compared to 62 percent that year for black students.

In 2008, the rate for white students rose to 86 percent, while the rate for black students jumped to 82 percent – a difference of just four percentage points.

“That’s pretty much a closed gap,” Dr. Knight said. “When you can get to within four points, that’s pretty significant.”

The difference in rates between male and female students also narrowed during the same period. In 2006, the rate for male seniors stood at 62 percent, compared to 74 percent for females.
But in 2008, the rate for males had risen to 79 percent, compared to 87 percent for females – not as much of a narrowing but a welcome improvement nonetheless.

For disabled students, the rate dipped from 42 percent to 34 percent in 2007 but rose to 58 percent in 2008.

Among nondisabled students, the rate remained unchanged at 73 percent from 2006 to 2007 but jumped to 85 percent in 2008.

It’s worth noting that these figures do not reflect fifth-year graduates or students who left school and later successfully completed the adult education program to obtain a GED or high school diploma, Dr. Knight said.
Dr. Knight said she expects the figures for 2009, which are not out yet, to be pretty close to the 2008 figures.

“My own goal was 85 percent, but I don’t think we’ll make that. But we’ll still be in the 80s,” she said.

For the longer term, she said, she has set a goal of a 90-percent graduation rate.

“That’s for every child that walks in the school door,” she said. “That’s nine out of 10 children. That’s a very high goal, but I think we can achieve it.”

Graduation rates are important because any student who does not at least graduate from high school has virtually no chance – none - in today’s highly competitive global economy. Graduation rates are important to communities also because they play a significant role in determining what the quality of life and standard of living will be like in a community.

Ninety percent is a lofty goal. But with committed and dedicated teachers, support staff and others – including parents - it is achievable. Thanks to those who made this improvement possible.