This is the third installment of our series on the effects of redlining in the Bronx.  As we mentioned previously, property pays a major role in our lives, and the values of the property that surrounds us (whether we own or don’t) has a profound effect on where we live and how we’re educated.  You can read the first article here and read part 1 and part two of our investigation into the effect of property taxes and education funding.  In this article, we’ll be looking into college enrollment and graduation rates in the Bronx to see if there is a correlation between unemployment, college achievement, and economic opportunities.

Now, I must confess.  I have very strong opinions about our current college education system.  Nevertheless, I do believe there are interesting pros and cons when it comes to college education and the labor market.  As we’ll see, the decision to go or not go to college is a very nuanced decision that goes far beyond the scope of this article.  If you’d like to here my personal opinion, you are free to buy my ebook below, or paperback from Amazon here.  Let’s look at some data about education and college readiness in the Bronx.

We begin tracking student test scores in 3rd grade, and continue to track their ELA and Math test scores in 8th grade.  The charts below show the Bronx’s ranking in relation to the rest of NYC for these scores.

Source: New York City Department of Education, New York State Common Core English Language Arts (ELA) & Mathematics Tests Grades 3 – 8, New York City Results ELA Data Files by Grade (school years 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016); retrieved from http://schools.nyc.gov/Accountability/data/TestResults/ELAandMathTestResults.

Source: New York City Department of Education, New York State Common Core English Language Arts (ELA) & Mathematics Tests Grades 3 – 8, New York City Results Math Data Files by Grade (school years 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016); retrieved from http://schools.nyc.gov/Accountability/data/TestResults/ELAandMathTestResults.

Unfortunately, the Bronx ranks last in Common Core passing rates for both ELA and Math.  With the majority of students entering high school with low academic achievement, student’s may be disenfranchised with the idea of going to college.  In addition to this, High School is drastically different than that of elementary and middle school as far as structure and, in a certain sense, autonomy.  Children go from being self contained with classroom teachers meeting them (elementary school), to moving along with their classmates to various classes (middle school) to having a unique schedule that allows them to move freely between classes (high school and then college).  Being able to do well in school is about being able to handle the work given, as well as being able to adjust to the different teaching styles and structure of their environment.  Below is a chart from the 2017 New York City High School Directory:

With just 62% of of students graduating in 4 years and 43% of graduate enrolling in college or career programs,  it’s hard to see how these young adults would be prepared to enter the labor market.  74% of students feel as though the schools they attend offer programs that keep them engaged in school.  When we look at the programs being offered in schools, we can see why.  General humanities courses followed by science and math aren’t diverse enough to challenge children in creative ways.  I’m sure we all know that most of the names of these high schools are misnomers at best.  What I mean is, most of the schools that emphasize certain fields such as entrepreneurship, music, law, art, and even technology don’t offer concentrated coursework around these subjects.  Most of these names are simply rebranded generic high school instruction.  It has to be frustrating as a student to apply to a specific high school because the name of it sounds like an interesting subject, only to find that the courses are similar to any other school.  We see that in high school, students in the Bronx continue to trail the students in the rest of the city.  Students are considered proficient if they score more than 65 on their respective regents.

Source: New York State Education Department, New York State Report Cards Database (School Years 2008-09; 2009-10; 2010-11; 2011-12; 2012-13); retrieved from https://reportcards.nysed.gov/.

Source: New York State Education Department, New York State Report Cards Database (School Years 2008-09; 2009-10; 2010-11; 2011-12; 2012-13); retrieved from https://reportcards.nysed.gov/.

In part 2,  we’ll look at how college enrollment affects unemployment, and the expected income and opportunities of those who graduate college.

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