3/25/08

Plain Dealer Column

Scott Stephens

The number of high school graduates nationally is predicted to decrease starting next school year, propelled primarily by enrollment changes in the Northeast and Midwest, according to a national report.

A dramatic shift will also occur in the racial and ethnic composition of student bodies as a result of rapid growth in the number of Hispanic high school students and graduates. The change is also being fueled by a shrinking number of white, non-Hispanics in the educational pipeline, according to “Knocking at the College Door: Projections of High School Graduates by State and Race/Ethnicity, 1992 to 2022.”

“The challenge of ensuring a high-quality education for all Americans has never been greater,” said David Longanecker, president of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education in Boulder, Colo., which published the report. “Many states in the West and South will struggle with explosive growth in both school enrollments and graduate numbers, while in the Northeast and Midwest, a high number of states will see declines as their populations age or move away.”

In Ohio, the news is grim.

After producing about 9,000 more graduates in 2004-05 than it did a decade earlier, the state will peak next school year and then begin a sharp decline each year through 2014-15.

The number of high school graduates is forecast to drop by 9 percent. At the same time, the state’s stu dent racial and ethnic composition will change. Hispanic graduates in Ohio numbered 1,723 in 2004-05. Within a dec ade, the number is projected to increase by 81 percent. Asian/Pacific Islanders graduates will rise by 32 percent.

Meanwhile, the number of white, non-Hispanics graduates will slip by about 9 percent from its 2004-05 level of 97,704. By 2014-15, the number of black, non-Hispanic graduates will fall by 4 percent below its level in 2004-05, when it was 14,308.

Stopping bullies:

It happens on the school bus, on the playground and even on the Internet.

Bullying is prevalent in our society, especially in schools. The Hudson Parent Teacher Association, the Children Coalition for Mental Health and Hudson School District are sponsoring an anti-bullying workshop called Mean Girls, Mean Boys . . . What’s a Parent to Do?’ at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Hudson High School Media Center, 2500 Hudson-Aurora Road.

The workshop is open to parents with children of all ages, and is free to the public.

The topics to be discussed include legal action against cyber bullying and empowering girls.