Has Bob Duffy really promised to increase the Rochester school district’s graduation rate to 65 percent in five years?
He doesn’t have an action plan, or a clear set of approaches, and he’s still studying exactly what he’ll do with the schools once he has them. But he’s confident he can promise a 30 percent increase in graduation rates?
I think temporary mayoral control over the school district could be the best thing to happen to Rochester kids since Johnny learned to read — but Duffy needs to be careful about the kinds of promises he makes.
A good education, after all, is just as important as high graduation rates. This should go without saying but it needs to be said, because the easiest way to increase graduation rates is to dumb schools down. In most cases where a new administration has promised dramatic increases in graduation (Texas immediately springs to mind) that’s exactly what’s happened. Curriculums were dumbed down, kids who weren’t performing were put on easier “tracks” to nowhere, and graduation rates met the promised goals. It was a tremendous success. Only the kids were hurt.
Even if a school district does everything right, will that guarantee an increased graduation rate from one year to the next? No, because every year the school district is dealing with a different set of kids, and every year these kids have different problems.
Promising that graduation rates or test scores will increase from year to year, no matter what, misses the point that schools have to work with the kids they’re given.
This works both ways. If the city sees an upswing in community support and effective early interventions for youth, 65 percent might become a laughably un-ambitious goal.
So let’s talk honestly for a moment about what school districts — no matter who runs them — can do.
Districts can make sure schools are run as efficiently as possible, with a minimum of red tape.
Districts can make sure the school system is centered around kids’ needs, rather than adults’.
Districts can make sure that schools are paying attention to students as individuals, catch problems early and have a variety of effective interventions ready.
Districts can make sure good administrators are promoted while bad ones are not, and that good teachers are left alone to teach while bad ones are not.
Districts can work with members of the greater community, including other local governments, to support students.
