Sad News

This is heartbreaking!  One of Esperanza's reason for being is to address this very issue.


Utah ranks in bottom half of country for high school grad rate

Education » State’s rate for Latinos is fourth lowest in nation.

By lisa schencker

| The Salt Lake Tribune

First Published Nov 26 2012 

 

Utah’s overall high school graduation rate ranks in the bottom half of the country — and the Beehive State is doing even worse when it comes to minority students, according to preliminary data released by the U.S. Department of Education on Monday.

Utah had a lower overall graduation rate than 31 states, a higher rate than 14 and tied with three others, according to the data that shows graduation rates for 47 states, the District of Columbia and the Bureau of Indian Education in 2010-2011. The state’s overall graduation rate was 76 percent that year.

At a glance

—

State graduation rates

The U.S. Department of Education on Monday released graduation rates for most states as calculated under a new federal formula. Some of the top-ranking states:

1. Iowa » 88%

2. Wisconsin and Vermont » 87%

3. Indiana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Tennessee, Texas » 86%

The state fared far worse when it came to some groups of minority students. Utah had the fourth-lowest graduation rate for Latinos in the country at 57 percent. It tied with Minnesota for the second-lowest graduation rate in the nation among Asian/Pacific Islander students at 72 percent.

"We’re disappointed we’re not ranking higher as compared to other states, and we’re definitely going to continue to be focused on it and working to improve it," said Judy Park, state associate superintendent, noting that she expects to see improvement when new graduation data is released for Utah.

She said the low minority rankings are likely a reflection of Utah’s changing demographics and the need to improve in that area. She also said she believes there’s a correlation between the rankings and Utah’s lowest-in-the-nation per pupil spending.

"I think it just shows that that’s an issue," Park said of per pupil spending. "When there’s not adequate funding put into education, it’s going to be reflected in how we compare to other states."

Analis Carattini-Ruiz, a Latina representative on the state school board’s Coalition of Minorities Advisory Committee, called Latinos’ low ranking in Utah "disheartening." Latinos are Utah’s largest minority group, making up about 15.5 percent of all Utah public school students.

She said a problem in Utah schools is a lack of Latino educators and role models. She said educators must also focus on culturally responsive teaching and creating welcoming environments for Latino students.

She cited the success of Latinos in Action, a program in schools throughout the state that sends high school and junior high students into elementary schools to work with students and perform community service. Carattini-Ruiz, who is also an alternative language services coordinator for the Canyons District, said Canyons has seen its Latino graduation rates rise since she brought the program there three years ago.

"We have a lot to learn in terms of reflection on other cultures and infusing that into our everyday teaching so our kids can identify with what we’re talking about, can identify with people in their community or have guest speakers that look like them," Carattini-Ruiz said. "Infusing a lot of those elements into our education system is critical because sometimes our kids feel like they don’t belong there."