Lying with Statistics; Now, Let's look for Solutions

Were you as stunned as I was to learn earlier this year that North Carolina's high school graduation rate was 69%? For years we'd been told, by state leaders, that the graduation rate was around 90%. That's some disparity. Twenty percentage points difference between what was being reported and the reality of the situation is inexcusable.

However, it will do no one any good to point fingers at state leaders. The responsible course of action is to search for solutions and fix the problem

The News and Observer reports that 50% of African-American men who enter the 9th grade DO NOT graduate four years later. Unbelievable. And our state's pitiful graduation rate costs the taxpayers $169 million per year, according to a report conducted by the Friedman Foundation. Our state's legislature needs to get serious about fixing this problem. It's bad for our kids, it's bad for our economy, and North Carolina will never truly be a world class place to live if our education system is second rate.

Here's a link to the N&O article. I think you'll be as disturbed by