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December 16, 2008

Brainiacs Take Brooklyn

graduation-1208.jpg
Last week's roundups of Brooklyn census data skipped over a couple of things, which the NY Daily News has picked up. Our high school and college graduation rates have swung up since that last count, eight years ago, as did the wealth of the average Brooklynite and the number of us who are employed. "The number of 25-year-olds holding at least a high school diploma soared 17%, to 1.2 million, while those with at least a bachelor’s degree rose by 30%, to 438,568 people," they write. Brooklyn public high schools’ four-year graduation rate rose to 59.8% in 2007, from 46.6% in 2000. The median income rose 27%, to $40,942. The numbers "proved what many had already known: Brooklyn was experiencing a renaissance." The evidence, sited by one college professor: organic juice joints replacing bodegas, a sign of "rapid gentrification." But the higher test scores might have more to do with an influx "higher-educated adults" from the Caribbean and Asia; the latter population increased by 21%. The neighborhoods where fortunes rose most dramatically? Cobble Hill, Park Slope and Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Youth Movement Fires Brooklyn Boro Gentrification [NY Daily News]
Photo by mccfamtracker.




Posted by lisa at 9:04 AM | Comments (27)
Categories: Development, Schools

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Its all well...but can they spell?

Posted by: bayridgegirl at December 16, 2008 9:14 AM

quote:
organic juice joints replacing bodegas

people like to complain about the supposedly high prices in bodegas, but what about the even ridiculously higher prices for the same crap in prettier packaging at organic juice joints? there's a huge disconnect. people think taking the bodegas out of a neighborhood is an improvement, but not when it's replaced by other things that are economically out of reach for the average person. (myself included.).

that said, it's nice to see the graduation rate be higher. however the article fails to mention the push in the last 4-5 years for "forced graduation". i.e. get those kids out of the school system because there is no room and or money for people on the 5 and 6 year plan.

*rob*

Posted by: PitbullNYC at December 16, 2008 9:17 AM

As much as I want to post a snarky comment about BRG's question coming from her I'll resist and add that I too would love to see the level of grammar & sentence structure coming out of your average high school graduate these days.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at December 16, 2008 9:25 AM

dave, (hoping you dont already have one..), but if you want to see that, just sign up for a myspace account! granted, im sure, (hopefully), that internet speak doesnt cross over into the professional world.. but im sure it does.. definitely get lots of LOL's and OMFG's WORK emails from people who just recently graduated COLLEGE! lol im probably just as bad and im almost 32 tho!


*rob*

Posted by: PitbullNYC at December 16, 2008 9:34 AM

You'd love to see the level what, Dave? You'd love to see the level period? Or did we miss a word here?

And I agree with Rob, nothing wrong and sometimes much right with a nice little bodega. Those things can be lifesavers at 2am, sometimes literally.

Posted by: Nokilissa at December 16, 2008 9:37 AM

Can't buy a bag of Utz chips, peanut butter, Wonder bread and a carton of milk for a midnight snack in a juice bar for god's sake.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at December 16, 2008 9:43 AM

Oh, DIBS, no snarky posts here...save it for the 'open thread'
Did I say something wrong. I did spell everything correctlly.

And with impending budget cuts that are sure to effect the education system…..the youth are screwed.

So, DIBS, your going to be surrounded by people like I!!

Posted by: bayridgegirl at December 16, 2008 9:44 AM

i don't think the youth are screwed necessarily because of budget cuts. that's a cop out. if someone wants a good free education they can get one. if parents want to make sure their kids stay in school, they can do that. lazy students and lazy parents have nothing to do with a few less laptops being put into classrooms. im lazy now as an adult but i made sure that even tho i went to a crappy school i got an education. then i made sure to find a way get to money to go to a crappy state college and get a higher education. if people are really invested in their education they will find a way.

there's a certain amount of laziness that is taught from generation to generation in this city and it's gross.

*rob*

Posted by: PitbullNYC at December 16, 2008 9:51 AM

So we're importing the brains from the Carribean and Asia. Can't be a bad thing.

Posted by: dittoburg at December 16, 2008 10:00 AM

Do we need a "find the spelling, grammar and punctuation problems in this sentence thread" aka a 're-write thread' for the likes of BRG, cmu, Biff and others! :)

Posted by: cobblehiller at December 16, 2008 10:02 AM

I have to say, the literacy level in the comments here is by far, much better than many of the national sites I read, including most newspapers, and especially blogs like Huffington. The level of basic grammar in this country is atrocious. Most people write like English is their third language. If I was appointed Sec'y of Education, I'd spend a couple of days just reading the comments to every national and local newspaper, national magazines, like Time, etc, popular political and social blogs, and everwhere that people can vent their spleen. Then I'd implement massive programs in basic English grammar skills, and basic writing. It is truly scary. We, as a nation, write like third graders. Failing third graders, at that. It's no wonder we aren't successful in science and math, we can't even express ourselves in our national tongue. This is a national problem, not just a NYC, or large city public school problem.

Posted by: Montrose Morris at December 16, 2008 10:48 AM

MM - I'm taking your post personely :)
English is my 2nd language!

But I'll still vote for it as QOTD, until you post something else.

Posted by: bayridgegirl at December 16, 2008 10:54 AM

While every improvement is good news we are shocked at the dismal high school graduations rates (even with forced graduation). 59% is a disgrace compared to the rest of the industrialized world..vraiement dommage!
MM if you think the English is bad just wait till you see the aptitude in math and science. We remember tutoring years ago in Harlem and there were 9th graders who barely knew the times table let alone manage to do long division. Triste!

Posted by: pierre de taille at December 16, 2008 11:08 AM

BRG, my complaint isn't with people for whom English is a second language. I know English is one of the most difficult languages to learn, especially idiomatic American English. But many ESL people write in English waaaayyy better than native born Americans do.

My own forays into foreign languages give me a lot of respect for people who learn English as adults. I'd be amazing in several languages if it wasn't for those pesky verbs and their annoying tenses and conjugations.

But American kids go through 12 years of English education, as well as, for some, higher education, and too many can't put a decent thought down on paper, even after college. There is no excuse for not retaining the basic use of English grammar and sentence structure. Maybe I'm too much the product of an English teacher mother, but we are supposed to be the most advanced, most literate, nation on earth. I don't think that's in any way true.

Posted by: Montrose Morris at December 16, 2008 11:26 AM

Montrose - I don't think America ever claimed to be the most literate nation on earth, and I don't think anyone ever thought it was. Technologically, advanced, free, rich, yes. But not most literate.

Posted by: dittoburg at December 16, 2008 11:47 AM

I found this:

In the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) assessment, 1994-98:

The average composite literacy score of native-born adults in the U.S. was 284 (Level 3); the U.S. ranked 10th out of 17 high-income countries;

The average composite literacy score of foreign-born adults in the U.S. was 210 (Level 1); the U.S. ranked 16th out of 17 countries.

Posted by: dittoburg at December 16, 2008 11:55 AM

Sad, dittoburg, very sad.

Posted by: Montrose Morris at December 16, 2008 12:04 PM

We do have to take into account that many immigrants coming here to make for a better life are uneducated, and they are no doubt included in the statistics. The much lower immigration rates of rich and well-educated northern European countries would therefore be expected to make the US fare poorly in comparison. So perhaps things aren't as bad as they seem.

Posted by: dittoburg at December 16, 2008 12:09 PM

Due to my own poor literacy I just made a nonsense post which can't explain the first statistic I provided........

Posted by: dittoburg at December 16, 2008 12:11 PM

MM - I was kidding. I wholeheartedly agree with you.
My father spoke 8 languages, my mother speaks 3, my sister 4 and is a foreign language teacher. I’ve barely mastered English, as evident by my above posts with intentional spelling and grammatical errors.

I think the educational system in the US is lacking on many fronts. We need to address our short comings as a under educated nation. I don’t think enough funding is provided, and I almost believe we have to change the mindsets of the youth into believing that they need to be over achievers. The US is being left behind.

Posted by: bayridgegirl at December 16, 2008 12:18 PM

Okay, my above post makes absolutely no sense. I give up.....I hope I've spelled everything correctly.

Posted by: bayridgegirl at December 16, 2008 12:21 PM

I think reading should be actively and heavily encouraged - it helps verbal skills, continually improves literacy, and opens the mind to new ideas.

Reading, littering and dog-poop scofflaws. That will be my platform when I run for mayor.

Posted by: dittoburg at December 16, 2008 12:28 PM

"And with impending budget cuts that are sure to effect the education system…..the youth are screwed."

Not necessarily. As I mentioned before, a child can learn in almost any school environment with the proper support. In almost any education scenario, parental involvement and the student's desire to learn are the most important factors.

Posted by: East New York at December 16, 2008 3:01 PM

comparisons like this against other countries is nonsense. western european countries do not have our underclass. if you eliminate our underclass from these studies, i'm sure that we jump up the list.

i deal with tons of europeans everyday, and i really don't find them to be better educated. they are for sure, more racist and severely more misogynistic. especially french men. that's a different topic though!

Posted by: wine lover at December 16, 2008 3:54 PM

Its interesting that you say that Wine Lover. I find English vocabulary in normal conversation to be quite limited in this country. I assumed it was a result of many immigrnats having to learn English, and the language being pared down to the necessities.

Posted by: dittoburg at December 16, 2008 5:52 PM

Wine lover we sure have a completely different experience from you. We work with tons of Russian immigrants and almost all of them have a superior education to their American counter parts.
Who says there is not an underclass in Western Europe? Did you read that somewhere? You may be referring to the Scandinavian countries ( relatively tiny populations) of Norway, Denmark, & Sweden but even here there are enlarging underclasses. We have massive underclasses in France, Britain, Italy, and even Germany recently. However the standard of education in those countries make ours look paltry and in fact inferior. The level of science education in even the poor French suburbs are ahead of our kids here. We are sure the reasons are complex and multi-factorial but hopefully the new administration will emphasize education to ensure American competitiveness.
Lets not even mention Japan for "the horse has already left the barn" on that front.

Posted by: pierre de taille at December 16, 2008 6:04 PM

Let me say this - when I first read how low the graduation rate was at NYC public schools I didn't believe it, I thought it was a misprint.

That is something that really needs to be worked on.

Posted by: dittoburg at December 16, 2008 6:20 PM

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