On Tuesday, the Manhattan Institute released a new report, Public High School Graduation and College-Readiness Rates: 1991–2002, evaluating both graduation rates and college readiness state by state. Interestingly, the Manhattan Institute data differs from reports released by the state Department of Public Instruction. This error occurs because the Manhattan Institute has a more accurate and valid definition of “graduation rate.” In fact, a 2003 report by the Education Trust, Telling the Whole Truth (or Not) about High School Graduation, referred to North Carolina’s inept terminology in this way: “North Carolina adopted a definition for the graduation rate that defies reason for NCLB reporting and accountability purposes.”

According to the Manhattan Institute, North Carolina’s graduation rate went from 70% in 1991 to 67% in 2002. While this drop may sound insignificant, consider that it earned us a rank of 37th in the nation. Equally disturbing is the fact that only 37% of public school students in the class of 2002 left high school with the skills necessary to attend a four-year college. Continually, racial achievement disparities plague our country. In 2002, 78% of white students earned a high school diploma, compared with 56% of African-Americans and 52% of Hispanic students.

While the bad news on the education front in our state continues to filter in, our neighbors in South Carolina are finally taking action to transform what has long been a low-performing, ineffective system. Consider that the Manhattan Institute accords South Carolina the lowest graduation rate in the entire country, with only 53% of the class of 2002 earning diplomas. Fortunately, choice and freedom are now at the forefront of public debate in that state. In fact, on Tuesday, I traveled to Columbia, South Carolina, to attend a rally for the state’s school choice bill, “Put Parents In Charge.” The enthusiasm in the crowd was palpable — one look at this picture demonstrates the sheer number of citizen activism.

While the education establishment continues to tout the same old rhetoric, South Carolinians are beginning to understand the concept of using tax credits to provide educational options, as well as the transformational power of a market-based reform movement. Governor Stanford spoke eloquently in support of the bill, but the most passionate speech came from a county school board member who was not intimidated by the education bureaucracy, as she called for an infusion of competition into South Carolina’s public schools. Let’s hope South Carolina’s campaign for education options enhances the credibility of tax credits and choice in our own state.

To learn more about choice, as well as the latest education news, visit the Alliance online at www.nceduationalliance.org. We update the “Headlines” section of our home page daily with articles from every major newspaper in our state. At the Alliance, we are committed to keeping you informed and empowered as we join together to improve education for the children of North Carolina.