The Crisis of Quality Educational Options for Low-Income Families
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Only 52% of students in the public school systems of the 50 largest cities in the United States complete high school with a diploma (White House Domestic Policy Council, September 2008 Report)
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In cities such as Baltimore, Cleveland, and Detroit, less than 35% of public school students graduate with a diploma (White House Domestic Policy Council, September 2008 Report)
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On average, only 20% of public school eighth-graders in large cities reach “advanced” or “proficient” levels of reading (U.S. Department of Education, The Nation’s Report Card, Reading 2007)
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Approximately 50% of black and Latino fourth-grade students score above “basic” on NAEP reading tests (National Assessment of Educational Progress, 2009)
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While the population of faith-based schools outside of inner-cities actually grew by 15% from 2000 to 2006, the population of such schools within inner-cities has decreased dramatically
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The number of faith-based urban schools closed from 2000 to 2006 is comparable to the entire Los Angeles Unified School System. The total number of students lost is greater than the entire enrollment of Chicago Public Schools. (White House Domestic Policy Council, September 2008 Report)
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While Latino and African American students who attend Catholic schools are more likely to graduate from high school and more likely to graduate from college than their public school peers, the total enrollment of Catholic schools has decreased by 500,000 children in the last 10 years. (Benson, Yeager, Guerra, & Manno, 1986; Evans & Schwab, 1995; Neal, 1997; Sander & Krautman, 1995, National Catholic Education Association, 2009).