Slow progress for minority students in state

We can take scant pride in the news that a higher percentage of black males in Connecticut graduate high school than the national average, because the rate here continues to lag compared to whites.

Yes We Can: The 2010 Schott 50 State Report on Black Males in Public Education released last week found that 60 percent of black males in Connecticut graduated in the 2007-08 school year, compared to 83 percent of their white counterparts.

In that same year, 47 percent of black males graduated across the country, compared to 78 percent of white males.

On a positive note, the Schott report, which is updated every other year, found that two years earlier the rate for black males in Connecticut stood at only 51 percent.

State officials are encouraged by the improved percentage but frustrated that a gap between blacks and whites persists.

"We can't allow this to continue," Connecticut Department of Education spokesman Tom Murphy said Friday.

While the state legislature deserves some credit for passing a secondary school reform law in its last session that will require students to take more challenging math classes and to write "individual success plans" to reach their goals - the fact is more needs to be done well before students enter middle or high school.

There is ample evidence that early intervention produces better students - some inner-city districts across the country even have managed to boast higher test scores, attendance and graduation rates than suburban communities.

But it takes more than dedicated teachers, determined administrators and involved parents to achieve success. Pure and simple, it takes money - to hire tutors, to offer day care and transportation for parents, to attract the best staff, to buy new supplies, to upgrade schools and so on.

Connecticut gets a barely passing grade in supporting such initiatives. Several years ago it suspended support of a $20 million early reading program that offered one-on-one help for youngsters, with the idea that money eventually would be restored.

With the economy shrinking legislators have yet to reinstate the program, even though numerous studies have found an inability to read at an early age often leads to a lifetime of struggles.

The state does spend $72 million annually to subsidize preschool programs for low-income families, but that amount has remained flat for several years while needs have grown. About 15,000 youngsters are served by such programs - only about half who ordinarily would qualify, Murphy said.

Because minorities tend to be poorer, these cutbacks affect them more directly, eventually leading to disparities cited in the Schott report.

And a lower graduation rate for black males eventually affects the entire population, since minorities who drop out of high school tend to remain in Connecticut while a growing number of whites who graduate go on to college, get jobs and move away.

It goes without saying that less-educated students wind up with lower-paying jobs, which leads to an even less-stable state economy.

As the old saying goes, you can pay now or you can pay later.

The state must renew its commitment to providing quality education for all students. It's the best investment in our future.