One of the more boastful and frivolous claims that the American Gulenist charter schools like to advertise, are the “ high graduation rates” among their high schools. However, Sharon Higgins of the Perimeter Primate website researched the exaggerated claims and found that by looking more closely at the charter schools assertions, that the actual statistical information was nothing to be celebrated.
Most recently, after being invited by Horizon Science Academy Cleveland High School to do a story, a local Cleveland news stations ran a segment on the 100% graduation rate at the HSAC (which by the way is one of the schools raided by the FBI on June 4, 2014). Ironically, the same news station did a red-faced follow-up story on the FBI raids about a week later.
As for Ohio's Concept's schools' grandiose claims of outstanding graduation rates, the Ohio state report card reporting system clearly indicates a different and truer story. In particular, all 5 of the Ohio Concept Charter high schools received an F rating for a 4-year graduation rate, and 2 D’s, 2 F’s, and 1 B rating for a 5-year graduation rate. As a side, note -- exactly when did high school turn into 5 years?
Of the five Concept High schools, the enrollment drop- out rates varied widely (see the table below for complete statistics), but at the Horizon Cleveland High School, in 2011-12, the rate of “freshmen cohorts still enrolled by graduation,” were: years 2011-12 -- 38%, and 2012-13 – 62%. At their Columbus High School the percentages were: 2011-12 – 60% and 2012-13 – 51%. The Horizon Toledo High school numbers were: 2011-12 – 40% and 2012-12 – 50%. The Horizon Dayton High school’s first graduating class in 2012 had an 81% graduation rate.
Likewise, after examining the Ohio state school report cards for all of the Ohio Concept Schools, 17out of 19 Concept charter schools received a failing – F – grade for “annual measurable results.” In the “achievement categories, 12 out of the 19 received a D grade for “performance index,” and in the “indicators of met” category, 14 or out the 19 received an F grade (I'm pretty sure that F means failing -- but then in the Gulenist world it might just mean "fabulous").
So what exactly are these schools bragging about and why does the media and their paid-off politicians continue to sing praises about schools that are obviously far from successful? And how have they managed to hoodwink the public into believing that Concept Schools (and the other 120 Gulen schools) are education’s knights in shining armor, ready to free the public from the constraints of traditional public schools and through means of bogus assertions and lopsided public relations promotions that the public seems to lap up like a thirsty dog?
Personally, I am a label reader – when I go into a store I thoroughly examine the ingredients before and not after I purchase an item, and I suspect there’s a lot of people out there like me. But when it comes to our children's education, something far more valuable and valued than a can of corn – too many parents just look past the glitz and glamor of public relations’ campaigns and blindly allow their children to be “educated” by lesser qualified educators in schools administered by dishonorable charlatans; neglecting to taking the time to actually “read the labels," before enrolling their kids in sub par schools.
Below are the links for the tables published on Sharon Higgins website: http://perimeterprimate.blogspot.com/
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dLe5iMWRZkg/U1moPJcDbHI/AAAAAAAAAfI/UBkAp90fw24/s1600/Ohio-report-card-table.PNG
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ctE9gE0AM1w/U1moUvJVV0I/AAAAAAAAAfQ/kHlXDnL6wDE/s1600/Ohio-high-school-attrition.PNG
Most recently, after being invited by Horizon Science Academy Cleveland High School to do a story, a local Cleveland news stations ran a segment on the 100% graduation rate at the HSAC (which by the way is one of the schools raided by the FBI on June 4, 2014). Ironically, the same news station did a red-faced follow-up story on the FBI raids about a week later.
As for Ohio's Concept's schools' grandiose claims of outstanding graduation rates, the Ohio state report card reporting system clearly indicates a different and truer story. In particular, all 5 of the Ohio Concept Charter high schools received an F rating for a 4-year graduation rate, and 2 D’s, 2 F’s, and 1 B rating for a 5-year graduation rate. As a side, note -- exactly when did high school turn into 5 years?
Of the five Concept High schools, the enrollment drop- out rates varied widely (see the table below for complete statistics), but at the Horizon Cleveland High School, in 2011-12, the rate of “freshmen cohorts still enrolled by graduation,” were: years 2011-12 -- 38%, and 2012-13 – 62%. At their Columbus High School the percentages were: 2011-12 – 60% and 2012-13 – 51%. The Horizon Toledo High school numbers were: 2011-12 – 40% and 2012-12 – 50%. The Horizon Dayton High school’s first graduating class in 2012 had an 81% graduation rate.
Likewise, after examining the Ohio state school report cards for all of the Ohio Concept Schools, 17out of 19 Concept charter schools received a failing – F – grade for “annual measurable results.” In the “achievement categories, 12 out of the 19 received a D grade for “performance index,” and in the “indicators of met” category, 14 or out the 19 received an F grade (I'm pretty sure that F means failing -- but then in the Gulenist world it might just mean "fabulous").
So what exactly are these schools bragging about and why does the media and their paid-off politicians continue to sing praises about schools that are obviously far from successful? And how have they managed to hoodwink the public into believing that Concept Schools (and the other 120 Gulen schools) are education’s knights in shining armor, ready to free the public from the constraints of traditional public schools and through means of bogus assertions and lopsided public relations promotions that the public seems to lap up like a thirsty dog?
Personally, I am a label reader – when I go into a store I thoroughly examine the ingredients before and not after I purchase an item, and I suspect there’s a lot of people out there like me. But when it comes to our children's education, something far more valuable and valued than a can of corn – too many parents just look past the glitz and glamor of public relations’ campaigns and blindly allow their children to be “educated” by lesser qualified educators in schools administered by dishonorable charlatans; neglecting to taking the time to actually “read the labels," before enrolling their kids in sub par schools.
Below are the links for the tables published on Sharon Higgins website: http://perimeterprimate.blogspot.com/
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dLe5iMWRZkg/U1moPJcDbHI/AAAAAAAAAfI/UBkAp90fw24/s1600/Ohio-report-card-table.PNG
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ctE9gE0AM1w/U1moUvJVV0I/AAAAAAAAAfQ/kHlXDnL6wDE/s1600/Ohio-high-school-attrition.PNG
