School Days* in the COVID Era
What to Make of the Recent Data on Improved Graduation Rates
Recently released data by the New York State Education Department show that high school graduation rates increased from 84.8% to 86.1% in New York State this year. After a really difficult (and still ongoing) pandemic for students and education more generally, this was taken as good news overall. In fact, one local Albany-based journalist said it was “some nominal good news” after a terrible, horrible, no good very bad couple of years.** The data, on some level, illustrated perseverance in the face of adversity from everyone including students, parents, and educators. Everyone was exhausted but they went the extra mile.
Looking at the data by year-over-year change (chart below) illustrates that during the pandemic graduation rates increased at faster rate than prior to the pandemic. In the chart below the annual change in graduation rates were higher in the COVID years than in the previous three graduating classes. In fact, the 2016 cohort (or the 2020 graduating class) had the highest increase in graduation rate in the date provided by the New York State Education Department.
But is it really good news?
Because of COVID many measures were relaxed, including cancelling the New York State Regents exams (standardized assessments in core subject matter areas) and then exempting certain students from Regents exams diploma requirements. In other cases grading and attendance policies were relaxed.
As we all know the pandemic was a sledgehammer of disruption on education. The pandemic resulted in remote learning or disrupted in-classroom instruction because of COVID outbreaks. This year, as schools were mostly going back to in person instruction, the lack of bus drivers to transport students to and from school halted that important development in many districts. Then there were a myriad of other COVID-related reasons that schools faced that made it virtually impossible to get back to “normal.”
As we all know the pandemic was a sledgehammer of disruption on education. The pandemic resulted in remote learning or disrupted in-classroom instruction because of COVID outbreaks.
Therefore, these new graduation rates may be more of a mirage of educational improvement than actual improvement. And this is not to blame the students or anyone else. It’s just a reality of the once in a generation health crisis we had to face head on. It felt like a small miracle just getting students back in a classroom, saying nothing of if it was the optimal learning environment for many.
These new graduation rates may be more of a mirage of educational improvement than actual improvement.
These students may have achieved a milestone in graduating high school, but are these students ready for college or a career? We may want to take these improved graduation rates with a grain of salt or with a dose of skepticism. A healthy dose of skepticism is warranted. It means we care about students. As these graduates move on we must provide them with additional support and help be it wrap around supports in college or continued job training opportunities. If not, we may continue to do a disservice to these students who have gone through so much.
*Courtesy of Chuck Berry
**Sorry Alexander
