Small NYC High Schools Deliver Big Graduation Rates

This is crucial, I mean stand-on-the-mountain-top-and scream crucial. New York City 'small high schools' significantly beat the graduation rates of its regular school cohorts.

How about a graduation rate difference of 18 points? The small high schools, often embedded in failing larger high schools, had an average graduation rate of 73 percenter comparied to 55 percent. I think of that difference as thousands of children who now have the potential to go to college, lead more meaningful and economically advantaged lives.

What are they doing right? Schools Chancellor Joel Klein remarked, "We've got to tell everyone in the country to throw away excuses and throw away low expectations."

Many of the small schools focus on a particular vocational area such as aerospace, computers and health careers. It is this specialization, I believe, along with the subtle messages that kids are expected to succeed that makes these programs winners.

Who would want a product that works only 55% of the time? It's time for school districts across the country to closely examine the success of New York's small high schools. Every year that youth drop out of school without a diploma is another year of pushing more lives with limited potential onto our streets and our governmental support systems.