* WARNING: THIS IS AN UNOFFICIAL, INTRODUCTORY COPY OF THE BILL.
THE OFFICIAL COPY CONSIDERED BY THE CITY COUNCIL IS THE FIRST READER COPY.
INTRODUCTORY*
CITY OF BALTIMORE
COUNCIL BILL R
(Resolution)
Introduced by: President Dixon
A RESOLUTION ENTITLED
A COUNCIL RESOLUTION concerning
Title
Informational Hearing - Graduation Rates - Baltimore City Public Schools
FOR the purpose of inviting representatives of the Education Research Center to share with the City Council and the Acting CEO of the Baltimore City Public Schools the results of Diplomas Count: An Essential Guide to Graduation Policy and Rates, a research study of graduation in the nation's high schools and asking officials of the Baltimore City Public School System to respond to the information on graduation rates contained in the Education Research Center report.
Body Recitals
With support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center is engaged in a 4-year project to study high school graduation and related issues pertaining to late secondary schooling and the transition to postsecondary education and employment. The 1st annual report from this project, Diplomas Count: An Essential Guide to Graduation Policy and Rates, provides detailed data on high school graduation rates at the national, state, and district levels.
This report shows that Baltimore City's high schools had the 2nd worst graduation rate among the nation's 50 largest school systems, with only 38.5% of high school students graduating 4 years after they began high school - only Detroit, where the graduation rate was 21.7% had a lower rate. In a comparison of Maryland's 5 largest school systems - the Montgomery, Prince Georges, Baltimore, and Anne Arundel counties, and Baltimore City - , Baltimore County had the 3rd best graduation rate, Montgomery County was 4th, Anne Arundel was 12th best, and Prince Georges County came in at 18th.
Although Baltimore school officials dispute the results of the study as do other systems in a national debate over how to accurately measure graduation rates, holding that the figures grossly under-report 2003 graduation rates by more than 15 points, the Education Research Center research highlights a troubling trend in our large, urban school systems. Regardless of the methods used to measure the graduation rate, it cannot be argued that too many of the students that enter high school are not staying the 4-year course.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF BALTIMORE, That representatives of the Education Research Center are cordially invited to share with the City Council the results of Diplomas Count: An Essential Guide to Graduation Policy and Rates, a research study of graduation in the nation's high schools.
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Acting CEO and officials of the Baltimore City Public School system are invited to participate in the hearing and respond to the data on graduation rates as presented in the report of the Education Research Center.
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be sent to the Mayor, Mr. Christopher B. Swanson, Researcher, Diplomas Count: An Essential Guide to Graduation Policy and Rates, the Acting CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools, the Chair and Members of the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners, and the Mayor's Legislative Liaison to the City Council.
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