A study of the Class of 1998 shows that two cities which have offered school vouchers - Cleveland and Milwaukee - rank among the worst in the nation for graduation rates.
The Manhattan Institute for Policy Research calculated graduation rates by taking eighth-grade enrollments in 1993, adjusting them for state population growth, and then comparing them with the number of students earning diplomas in 1998.

The report shows graduation rates vary widely, from a low of 28 percent in Cleveland to a high of 87 percent in Fairfax County, Va. Milwaukee had a 43 percent graduation rate and ranked 48th among the 50 largest school districts in the country. Memphis, Tenn., ranked 49th and Columbus, Ohio, 47th. "It's clear to us that vouchers are a necessary avenue to go down in those places because clearly the public schools haven't produced students that we want," said Kaleem Caire, president of the nonprofit Black Alliance for Education Opportunities.

A spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Education said the state is currently working to match what students should know at each grade level to what they are tested on.

"Our goal is that this realignment will close achievement gap issues and improve graduation rates," Beth Gianforcaro said.

Graduation rates were indistinguishable for white, Latino and black students in Cleveland, ranging from 23 percent for whites to 29 percent for blacks. In Milwaukee, however, white students had a 74 percent graduation rate compared to a 42 percent rate for Latino students and a 34 percent rate for black students.

"There are schools that aren't performing well and we need to improve those schools," said Kathleen Lyons, spokeswoman for the National Education Association. "You don't do that by offering a voucher to students so they can leave those schools to go to other schools."

The 1995 Cleveland program offers up to $2,500 for low-income students to attend private schools. It serves 4,000 of Cleveland's 77,000 students and has become the Supreme Court's test case for deciding whether public funds may go to religious school tuition. A ruling is expected by summer.

Under the Milwaukee program, low-income students are eligible for $5,300 in state vouchers. The program, upheld by the state Supreme Court, was developed in 1989 and expanded to religious schools in 1995.

The alliance, which has run several advertising campaigns to promote school vouchers, paid $15,000 for the graduation rate study because it regards the U.S. Department of Education graduation rates as incomplete.

"The problem with low graduation rates is probably more severe than most people realize," said Jay P. Greene, who conducted the study as a senior fellow at the New York think tank. "School districts do not inform them about this situation in an honest and straightforward way."

Rates computed by the DOE include students who earn general educational development certificates. Greene said he did not because life prospects for GED earners are closer to those of high school dropouts.

Like dropouts, students who earn a GED are more likely to land in prison, become single parents or rely on public assistance, he said.

Critics say Greene's method is not precise because it fails to account for students who take a fifth year and transfer to community colleges, home schools or private schools to complete their high school education.

A spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Education said the state is currently working to match what students should know at each grade level to what they are tested on.

"Our goal is that this realignment will close achievement gap issues and improve graduation rates," Beth Gianforcaro said.

On the Net:

Black Alliance for Educational Options: http://www.baeo.org/

National Education Association: http://www.nea.org/