NYC Workforce Lags Behind Other Major American Cities in Educational Attainment;
Four of Five Public School Students Fail to Earn College Degrees
Four of Five Public School Students Fail to Earn College Degrees
City Comptroller John C. Liu today launched “Beyond High School NYC,” a major initiative to increase the proportion of New
Yorkers with higher education to 60 percent by the year 2025 through strategic investments in public education.
“Beyond
High School NYC” will publish research, propose educational reforms,
and identify strategic investments in public education designed
to boost the number of New Yorkers with post-secondary degrees.
“Investment
in education promises to enhance City revenues and lower spending, thus
attacking the budget problem from both sides of the ledger.
Indeed, investment in education today is the best economic development
policy for tomorrow,” said Comptroller Liu. “It’s time we reverse New
York’s education gap and put our public schools back on the right
track.”
The
initiative’s inaugural research study, entitled “Beyond High School:
Higher Education as a Growth & Fiscal Strategy for New York City,”
was released today.
The study found that New York City, which regards itself as the intellectual capital of the country, is actually only in the middle of the pack of major cities based on the percentage of the working-age population with an Associate's Degree or higher. Seattle, San Francisco, Washington D.C., Minneapolis, and Boston and all have higher levels of educational attainment based on an analysis of American Community Survey (ACS) microdata.
Economists
agree that low college completion rates harm a city’s competitiveness.
The study estimates four out of every five New York City
public high-school students, or 79%, do not earn two- or four-year
college degrees within twelve years of beginning the 9th grade.
The
lack of a college degree has significant consequences for an
individual’s lifetime earnings. Digging deeper into the City’s
demographics
the study found that what New Yorkers earn, by race, closely tracks
their educational attainment. Whites in New York City earned, on
average, $61,735 in 2010, compared to $28,961 for Blacks, and $24,745
for Hispanics. The percentage of Whites with at least
a bachelor’s degree (57.5%) is well more than twice that of Blacks
(21.7%) and substantially three times more than the percentage of
Hispanics (15.9%).
“Failing
to properly invest in public education deprives the next generation of a
chance for prosperous and fulfilling
lives,” said Comptroller Liu. “The economic challenges facing our City
can best be addressed by educating many more New Yorkers beyond high
school. As we work together toward achieving this ambitious goal we will
improve our economy and reduce the high costs
associated with poverty, health care, and crime.”
“Increases
in the city’s high school graduation rate won’t mean much if the
administration can’t find a way to provide the real curriculum,
teacher supports, and health and social services our kids need to make
our graduates college-ready,” said
United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew.
“This
is an important effort to create a viable strategy to turn around the
shocking lack of educational achievement among New York City’s resident
children,” said
Ernest A. Logan, president of the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators.
“Mr. Liu understands that New York City — with its abundance of wealthy
citizens and its vast intellectual power — should be sending more not
less of its children to
college than any other city in the country is managing to do.”
“This important and timely report reinforces education’s essential role in New York City's future,” said
Jay Hershenson, Senior Vice Chancellor for University Relations and
Secretary of the Board of Trustees at The City University of New York.
“Preparing a well-educated citizenry is the best investment in the
future a city can make. A highly skilled workforce
is a prerequisite to success in our global innovation economy, driving
job growth and economic development. CUNY is deeply committed to
continue working in partnership with the City to increase educational
attainment across the five boroughs to help New Yorkers
advance themselves and contribute to the City’s vitality.”
“Educational attainment and economic prosperity are inextricably linked,” said
Jamie Merisotis, President and CEO of Lumina Foundation.
“Economists and labor experts agree that, in any city or region, the key
factor in economic growth and job creation is the education level of
its residents. Without access to a well-educated workforce,
today’s businesses have little chance of surviving, let alone thriving,
in the global economy. Lumina applauds New York City’s efforts to focus
on higher education attainment.”
“We concur with Comptroller Liu's analysis of this serious problem in New York City,” said
Mona Davids, President of the NYC Parents Union. “We are alarmed
that four out five NYC public high school graduates are dropping out
college. Nothing is more important to a parent than the educational
achievement of their child and their child's ability
to have a great future. We need more support in our public schools to
ensure our high school graduates complete their college education.”
“As
parents we all have our hopes and dreams for our children when they
enter school and college readiness is an essential and reasonable
outcome
to expect. This report uncovers the alarming fact that current school
reforms in New York City are only preparing 20% of our students for
college,” said
Zakiyah Ansari, Advocacy Director, Alliance for Quality Education.
“Comptroller Liu is helping focus New Yorkers on critical issues that
have yet to be adequately addressed — like closing the education gap. We
look forward to his proposals to increase
educational opportunities for New York's students.”
“Every day at Make the Road we see youth struggling to find work in this City,” said
Javier H. Valdes Co-Executive Director of Make the Road New York. “We need to focus resources to make sure that the City’s high school graduates are college-ready and have a fair shot
at a future. If they succeed our entire economy succeeds.”
The full report and a summary of the findings are available for download at
www.comptroller.nyc.gov.
