Take a moment, relax, and experience the beauty of this artist’s work.

If accurate, these statistics are staggering.

- It’s a nickname no principal could be proud of: “Dropout Factory,” a high school where no more than 60 percent of the students who start as freshmen make it to their senior year. That dubious distinction applies to more than one in 10 high schools across America.
“If you’re born in a neighborhood or town where the only high school is one where graduation is not the norm, how is this living in the land of equal opportunity?” asks Bob Balfanz, the researcher at Johns Hopkins University who defines such a school as a “dropout factory.”

There are about 1,700 regular or vocational high schools nationwide that fit that description, according to an analysis of Education Department data conducted by Johns Hopkins for The Associated Press. That’s 12 percent of all such schools, no more than a decade ago but no less, either.

While some of the missing students transferred, most dropped out, Balfanz says. The data tracked senior classes for three years in a row—2004, 2005 and 2006—to make sure local events like plant closures weren’t to blame for the low retention rates.

The highest concentration of dropout factories is in large cities or high-poverty rural areas in the South and Southwest. Most have high proportions of minority students. These schools are tougher to turn around, because their students face challenges well beyond the academic ones—the need to work as well as go to school, for example, or a need for social services.

It seems as those these statistics have not changed much over the years so wouldn’t one think there would be emphasis on the areas of the country where this problem is most prevalent.

Maybe this school in the Baltimore area would be a good model for others to emulate:

Teachers and administrators at Baltimore Talent Development High School, where 90 percent of kids are on track toward graduating on time, are working hard to make sure students don’t have an experience like Miller’s.

The school, which sits in the middle of a high-crime, impoverished neighborhood two miles west of downtown Baltimore, was founded by Balfanz and others four years ago as a laboratory for getting kids out on time with a diploma and ready for college.

Whatever the answer, it is unacceptable in this country to have schools where graduation rates are as dismal as expressed in this piece.

In our continuing effort to keep our readers informed on the candidates running for president we give you some sound bites from Congressman Tom Tancredo:

Update:Tancredo has told Fox News he does not intend to run for his House seat this year.

One of the best things which happened to the Bush administration was Tony Snow becoming Press Secretary, if only for a brief period of time.

Once again, in this interview, we find straight talk from Tony which was customary at press conferences.

On Print Media:

On the newspaper business: “The newspapers have to realize that they are a niche market and the one thing they can do better than anyone else is analysis. As a guy who spent the majority of his career in print media and loves writing, it scares me that newspapers are in the state they’re in.”

Addressing his former employer:

On his alma mater, Fox News: “There’s perceived bias on the part of Fox because they don’t treat conservatives as knuckle-dragging morons….I think the rap on Fox having a bias is an unfair one. My sense is rather than grousing with a winning formula, people ought to learn from them.”

More Q&A at the above link.

HT: Say Anything

The FTC has issued the following warning concerning a bogus e-mail which contains a damaging computer virus:

The Federal Trade Commission, which has declared war on Internet scams, warned consumers on Monday not to open a bogus e-mail that appears to come from its fraud department because it carries an attachment that can download a virus.

The e-mail says it is from “frauddep@ftc.gov” and has the FTC’s government seal.

But it was not issued by the agency and has attachments and links that will download a virus that could steal passwords and account numbers, the agency said.

“It’s a treasure trove for identity theft,” said David Torok of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “We’re concerned. The virus that’s attached to the e-mail is particularly virulent.”

It’s been a while since “Bigfoot” has made an appearance but this video seems to provide “proof” that he/she is alive and well.

Park rangers believe the pictures are that of some sort of a skinny bear. I leave it to you to judge for yourself.

A little Tuesday morning fun!

*Further commentary on this short video from The Philadelphia Inquirer