The Governor’s office today released a news item announcing that Virginia’s On-Time Graduation rated topped 89 percent and that the drop-out rate decreasesd as more minority students earned diplomas.
In the 2013 cohort of 93,167 students, 89.1 percent earned a Board of Education-approved diploma. Among the group increases in graduation rates were black students, Hispanic students, students with disabilities and limited-English proficent students.
In his announcement, the Governor commented, “Behind these positive statistics are students, parents, teachers, guidance counselors and other educators who worked together to accomplish great things.” In addition, McDonnell provided more praise with his comment “I applaud our students, parents and teachers for making this progress possible.”
In case you have not noticed any “thank you’s” and “applause” for principals in this blog, it is because Virginia principals and assistant principals are absent in his press release. Perhaps the Governor overlooked your efforts and lumped administrators into the category of “other educators”? This omission of the instructional leaders of high schools in the Commonwealth is unacceptable. We are all supposed to be part of an educational team in our schools and to disregard the contributions of building administrators seems to indicate that leadership in buildings just occurs as an act of nature, not by the efforts and diligence of high school administrators.
You may access the Governor’s report at: http://www.doe.virginia.gov/news/news_releases/2013/oct08_gov.shtml
