BPS college graduation study released; Mayor Menino to double the college graduation rate for Boston students

A new report prepared by the Boston Private Industry Council and the Center for Labor Market Studies indicates that 35.5% of the graduates from the Boston Public Schools Class of 2000 who enrolled in college had earned a post-secondary degree by June of 2007.

View:  full report,  highlights,  commitments,  press release. 

On November 17 at a press conference at Northeastern University, the Mayor joined officials from the Boston Public Schools (BPS), area colleges and universities, businesses, college access non-profits and the funding community to issue a community-wide challenge to ensure that more Boston Public School graduates go on to earn a college degree.

Mayor Menino’s challenge calls for a 50% increase in the college graduation rate for college enrollees from the BPS Class of 2009, and a 100% increase – doubling the college graduation rate – for college enrollees from the BPS Class of 2011. National data indicate that fewer that half of the students who enroll in college in this country graduate within six years.

To achieve the goals, the Mayor emphasized the need to focus on three key areas related to college success: “Getting Ready, Getting In, and Getting Through.”  Partners involved in the initiative have committed to creating and expanding supports to ensure that BPS students (1) get ready: are academically prepared to succeed in college; (2) get in: apply for and gain access to higher education, including financial aid; and (3) get through: receive the supports necessary to earn a degree, prepared to enter the workforce.