KnowledgeWorks Foundation - 2001-2002 Poll

Urban school districts face significant challenges to reach a point where graduation rates, currently at about 59.6%, approach the state average of 80.4%. Ohioans recognize that urban school districts' graduation rates are lower than the state average, but underestimate the extent of the challenge-respondents estimate urban graduation rates to be approximately 66.4%, on average. It is important for Ohioans to understand the extent of the challenge and the cost of not acting to expand their involvement in addressing a difficult set of issues.

Key Findings
Overall, Ohio's citizens gave Ohio public schools a grade of C+, with no significant change over ratings made in 2000. Ohioans are divided, though, as to whether they feel the schools are on the right or wrong track, with nearly 50% optimistic about the direction of Ohio's public schools, 39% pessimistic, and 10% unsure. In contrast, Ohioans were more favorable in regard to their local public schools, which, as in 2000, received about a B. Sixty-two percent were optimistic about the future direction of their local public schools, 29% pessimistic, and 9% unsure.

Although citizens' ratings of the schools were virtually unchanged from last year, according to the Ohio Department of Education (ODE), three out of four Ohio school districts improved on the state's 27 standards, which include passage rates on proficiency tests as well as graduation and attendance rates. According to ODE¹ , 75% of the state's school districts (457 districts) improved on the 2002 Local Report Card by one or more indicators; 14% (93 school districts) remained the same; and 9% (57 school districts) declined.

Survey respondents were also asked about the quality of the education provided by Ohio's public high schools. Nearly two-thirds of Ohioans agreed that graduating high school seniors receive the necessary training to succeed both in standard college courses as well as in the workplace. However, survey respondents tended to underestimate Ohio's overall high school graduation rate; although the average estimate made by survey respondents was 73%, the actual graduation rate for 1999-2000 as reported by the Ohio Department of Education in the 2001 State Report Card was 80.4%.

Survey respondents were also asked to estimate Ohio's urban graduation rate. Respondents did estimate the graduation rate in urban districts to be slightly lower than the overall graduation rate, with an average estimate of 66.4%, a statistically significant difference from the overall estimated graduation rate of 73%. However, this estimate is still considerably higher than the actual urban graduation rates reported by the Ohio Department of Education (ODE).

According to ODE, graduation rates in urban districts² are in some cases substantially lower than the overall state graduation rate. Among Ohio's "Big 8" urban districts³ in 1999-2000, graduation rates range from a high of 72.4% in Akron City Schools to a low of 33.7% in Cleveland City Schools. According to ODE, the average graduation rate for Ohio's 21 urban districts was 59.6%, and the average graduation rate for the Big 8 was 53.9%. Even respondents who described their own school districts as "urban" tended to overestimate graduation rates slightly, with an average estimated urban graduation rate of 68.1%. Thus, although the general public may be aware that graduation rates are lower in urban districts, the real extent of the problem may not be fully appreciated.