Some give ‘career diploma’ failing grade

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

Louisiana’s new “career diploma” continues to draw criticism. About a week after legislation creating the diploma became law, critics are still voicing their opinion.

Gov. Bobby Jindal last week signed legislation that would allow students who don’t want to attend college to pursue a less rigorous career track, a concept that supporters say will reduce the number of students dropping out of school.

Today, Washington, D.C.-based Campaign for High School Equity, a project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, issued a press release critical of the diploma, calling it “a disservice to the state’s students.”

CHSE said only 62 percent of Louisiana’s students graduate from high school each year with a regular diploma. In 2005, only 40 percent of black students, 47 percent of Hispanic students and 49 percent of Asian students graduated from high school compared with 63 percent of their white peers, CHSE said.

“The new program in Louisiana will allow students 15 and older to opt out of the standard curriculum with parental consent and would allow students in eighth grade to advance to ninth grade without passing the state standardized tests,” CHSE said.

CHSE said lowering academic standards to increase graduation rates will disproportionately affect Louisiana’s low-income and minority students.

“If equality in education is truly a priority for this country, we need to admonish legislation that predetermines the future of a segment of students based on an idea that they cannot achieve,” CHSE Executive Director Michael Wotorson said. “Gov. Jindal’s actions are despicable. This law will lock students out of economic prosperity. Instead, we need to establish education policies in Louisiana and in every state that hold schools accountable for student success and provide every student with a high-quality education that prepares them for college and the modern workforce.”

CityBusiness reporter Stephen Maloney, in a story in this week’s edition, wrote about concerns that education and construction industry officials have about the career diploma, which was created by state Rep. James Fannin, R-Jonesboro.

Here’s what education officials said about the diploma. The excerpts are from Maloney’s story:

Capital One-University of New Orleans Charter Network CEO Andre Perry calls Fannin’s effort a short-sighted attempt to fix an education problem that has been plaguing New Orleans public schools for generations. Instead of encouraging struggling students to work harder, Perry said the notion that college is not for every student is often used as an excuse to avoid responsibility for high dropout rates, especially in urban and rural school districts.

Recovery School District Superintendent Paul Vallas said the career track diploma lowers standards for the students in most need of academic help.

“This would create a secondary enrollment track, a lesser track, the track of lower expectations, and I just think that’s criminal,” Vallas said. “There’s nothing more racist than the racism of low expectations.”

Here’s what Morty Branigan, apprenticeship director for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 130, said about the career diploma. These are more excerpts from Maloney’s story:

“Typically, people believe that the construction industry is a career choice for slow learners, and that’s absolutely not the case,” Branigan said. “Our industry is becoming more and more technical every day.”

“My biggest concern with this career path diploma is that the graduation requirements are going to be watered down to the point where many of them would not meet our minimum qualifications,” Branigan said.•