The Superintendent of the Buffalo Public Schools is having a difficult time with the state Commissioner of Education's statistics on the city's graduation rate.

Supt. James Williams took umbrage at Commissioner David Steiner for speaking the bland truth about Buffalo's graduation rate: It ain't changed much in the last four years, the commissioner said yesterday (more eloquently than I just recounted, of course).

Dr. Williams sounded off on the commissioner, as though Steiner was questioning his manhood. He told the Buffalo News (today): "I think [State Ed] want(s) to paint the picture that urban schools don't know what they're doing so that he can bring in charter schools and privatize public education."

Does Dr. Williams really believe this paranoia, like there is a charter school under every rock? Besides, in January the superintendent himself publicly rebuked (here) his own Board of Education for balking at supporting the state's Race to the Top application because it proposed raising the cap on the number of charter schools allowed.

Barely Half of Buffalo Students Graduate On Time
The state reported that Buffalo's graduation rate in 2009 was only 53.1 percent of students entering 9th grade four years prior, which is up from two years ago when it was 45 percent. However, the rate is only 1.3 percentage points higher than it was in 2005. Commissioner Steiner described this four-year change as "modest," which is being kind. The reality is that since Superintendent Williams assumed office, Buffalo's graduation rate remains abysmal, with barely half the students graduating on time.

The state Education Department can hardly be accused of making the Buffalo school district look bad. Thousands of Buffalo parents already know that without being told, no matter the superintendent's attempt at spin, which is why they steadily have moved out or enrolled their children in charter schools.

There is more. Dr. Williams paints a picture of a state education bureaucracy last week "scrambling" to get district graduation numbers by repeatedly calling his staff at City Hall. There doesn't appear to be any "scrambling" going on in the Buffalo district bureaucracy since it appears it was in no hurry to return calls to the State Ed with the information being requested.

Dismal Statistics Demand Real Change
Dr. Williams does no service to Buffalo by lashing out with his Do-You-Know-Who-I-Am? reaction toward the state for presenting the truth about the Buffalo school district. Rather, he should use these dismal realities in the school district in order to create a bold agenda for improving it. That would be more productive. The realities and needs of Buffalo's students matter more than the superintendent's ego.

Peter Murphy
for The Chalkboard
Twitter.com/PeterMurphy26
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