From today’s Globe:

Nearly half of Boston students fail to graduate from the city’s regular public high schools in four years, according to a new Boston school system report that examines the city’s growing dropout problem.

The 53 percent four-year graduation rate pales in comparison to the state average and even lags behind the average rate of the state’s urban school systems.

What a shameful statistic.

This is quite a problem.

You would think that, given the many successes we’ve enjoyed in the Commonwealth over the years, given the amount of money that the city has poured into the school system, given the amount of time and effort that hundreds and thousands of parents and teachers and administrators have put into their work, that we would be doing better.

Much better.

We’ll see what happens, now that Boston has a new schools superintendent on board (what is this, #9 since our Mayor took office?).

But, we’re in good hands, right?

[Superintendent Carol] Johnson and Mayor Thomas M. Menino will discuss the findings today at a community forum sponsored by Freedom House, in the first of a series of meetings over the next two months to seek community input on solutions.

Well, they will if he gets back from his ten-day trip to Panama, Peru, and Colombia, in time …

Source: 4-year diploma rate lags in Hub - By Tracy Jan, The Boston Globe

Also: Mayor challenges city, “Judge me by the progress in the Boston public schools” - The Boston GLobe

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