Task force cites high dropout rates for African American, Latino students

Calling the high school dropout rate for city students one of the most serious problems facing Philadelphia, Mayor Nutter said Thursday his administration would work with the School District to address it.

"There is nothing less at stake here than the future of this city," Nutter told an audience at the district's administration building following release of a blueprint for stemming the dropout rates for African American and Latino males.

After studying the dropout problems of African American and Latino males in Philadelphia for 10 months, a task force called for the district to reexamine its zero-tolerance policy toward violence, consider offering single-sex classes, add music and arts programs to help engage students' interest, and raise academic standards.

Overall, only 56 percent of district students graduate in four years, according to 2009 data. The rates for minority male students are worse: 45 percent for African American males and 43 percent for Latino males.

"These numbers indicate an alarming crisis requiring immediate interventions," according to the report from a task force established by Robert L. Archie Jr., chairman of the School Reform Commission, and commission member Johnny Irizarry.

Philadelphia is not alone. The national graduation rate was 48 percent for African American males and 49 percent for Latino males, according to a recent report by the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. Researchers at the think tank found female students from every racial group outperforming males.

In Philadelphia, students and former students told the task force that the district's hard-line policy on violence prevents students from learning from their mistakes and just transfers them to other schools.

The task force says the district should amend its violence policy "to strike a balance" between making schools safe and offering disciplinary options that keep students engaged in learning.

The report also said the district should provide mentors, internships, and opportunities for paying jobs to connect students with caring adults and show them how their academic subjects are applied in the workforce.

But above all, the panel said, teachers and staff must treat students fairly and with respect. Students and former students told the task force that they felt as though the district now pushes them to leave before graduation.