A new study says that inaccurate and misleading data on student dropout rates have created a “hidden crisis” that masks unacceptably high dropout figures among minority students. The report, from the Urban Institute and Harvard University’s Civil Rights Project, indicates that while 75 percent of white students graduated from high school in 2001, that figure was only 50 percent for black students, 51 percent for Native Americans and 53 percent for Hispanics.

The report criticizes the U.S. Department of Education for relaxing regulations that might force schools, districts and states to focus more attention on the gap in graduation rates. The problem is that, under regulations related to the No Child Left Behind Act, states can avoid sanctions by showing a minimal amount of improvement in graduation rates from year to year.

If a minimum graduation rate of 66 percent was used, the report notes, 46 states and the District of Columbia would fail to meet it for at least one major racial or ethnic group. California, which has set the goal of a 100 percent graduation rate for all students, would take 500 years to reach that milestone at its current rate of progress.

The study, which includes six action steps to address the issue, is available online at www.civilrightsproject.harvard.edu.

Let's talk about adoption

Creating a positive school environment for adopted children and their families is the goal of “S.A.F.E. at School,” a new publication developed by the Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E.). The book offers five proactive strategies to help teachers and counselors educate students of all ages about the complexities of adoption.

“Today, with adoptive families on the increase and revolutionary changes occurring in adoption procedures and policies, everyone needs to have a broader understanding of this way of creating families,” according to C.A.S.E.

“S.A.F.E. at School” has guidelines for talking about adoption while protecting the privacy of personal adoption stories. It also has sections on the history of adoption, the public’s perceptions of adoption and the educational needs of adopted students.

Founded in 1998, C.A.S.E. is a private, nonprofit adoptive family support center. It offers ongoing services in areas such as family counseling and advocacy on behalf of adoptees and their families. Educators, C.A.S.E. says, are an important resource for providing schoolchildren with factual information about adoption.

For more information about C.A.S.E. and “S.A.F.E. at School” visit www.adoptionsupport.org.

Trainers want 'heart machines' in schools

The National Athletic Trainers’ Association is the latest in a growing number of organizations advocating the use of automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) in school settings to help prevent the tragedy of sudden cardiac arrest.

The American Heart Association estimates that as many as 450,000 Americans—including 7,000 children—lose their lives each year due to sudden cardiac arrest. Studies have shown that many of these deaths could have been prevented through the quick, proper use of AEDs, which shock the heart back to a sustainable rhythm. The life-saving benefits prompted the trainers’ association to issue a statement to its 30,000 members encouraging the use of these devices.

“NATA strongly believes the treatment of [sudden cardiac arrest] is a priority,” says association spokesperson Cate Brennan Lisak. “We urge all certified athletic trainers to include an AED program as part of their emergency action plan when treating children” for sudden cardiac arrest in schools.

More than 30 percent of U.S. high schools employ certified athletic trainers, who are responsible for providing emergency care during the school day and during extracurricular activities. The AFT-affiliated New York State United Teachers is among the groups that have lobbied for AEDs as part of a comprehensive school safety program.

Access to college is a growing concern

Parents of high school students are increasingly pessimistic about the opportunities for qualified students to attend college, according to new research from Public Agenda and the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. “Public Attitudes on Higher Education: A Trend Analysis, 1999 to 2003” is the fourth in a series of public opinion studies on higher education conducted by Public Agenda for the center.

Key findings include:

• Parents of high school kids are becoming more worried about access to college. In 2000, just over half of high school parents (52 percent) said that the vast majority of qualified people did have an opportunity to attend college. In the recent survey, the percentage of high school parents who are optimistic about opportunity has dropped to 34 percent.

• African-Americans and Hispanics are especially concerned about access. In 2000, about 60 percent of African-Americans said that many people in their state did not have an opportunity to go to college, as compared to a much smaller number of whites who felt this way (44 percent). In the 2003 study, 76 percent of the African-American respondents said that many qualified people were shut out of higher education (compared to 51 percent of white respondents). A majority of Hispanics consistently feel that many qualified people in their state do not have an opportunity to go to college—59 percent in 2000 and 67 percent in 2003.

• Among African-Americans, there is a big increase in the number who say a college education is a necessity. In 2000, the majority of African-Americans (64 percent) said there are many ways to succeed at work without a college education, compared to 35 percent who said college is necessary. Today, a majority of African-Americans (53 percent) say that college is necessary for success, compared to 45 percent who say there are many other paths to success in the work world.

“Public Attitudes on Higher Education” is available online at www.publicagenda.org.