ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
There's another story that a lot of people here in Washington are talking about today. A new report says 1 in 3 students who graduated from Washington, D.C.'s, public schools last year did not meet the requirements for graduation. The city's mayor requested the report after NPR and member station WAMU investigated graduation rates at one D.C. high school. Our reporters found that many students there had graduated unprepared and having missed months of class. Here's WAMU's Kate McGee.
KATE MCGEE, BYLINE: More than 900 students graduated last year even though they missed too much class or were improperly placed in makeup classes.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
MURIEL BOWSER: This is indeed tough news to deliver but very necessary in order that we right the ship.
MCGEE: That's D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser who broke down the report's findings. It describes a larger culture where teachers are pressured to pass students to meet extremely high graduation goals. And it places much of the blame on D.C. Public School Central Office. There were failures at every level, from communication and oversight to unclear grading and attendance policies. Since WAMU and NPR's initial report, four district employees have been removed from their positions, three school administrators and the head of secondary schools.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
BOWSER: What I hope is that people are trying to do right by kids. Unfortunately, they did the wrong things. And so that is - that's what we're addressing.
MCGEE: At a monthly breakfast with the mayor and D.C. Council this morning, city lawmakers expressed dismay in the findings. Councilmember Mary Cheh says for too long, there's too much focus on improving numbers and that let students fall through the cracks.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
MARY CHEH: We cannot be graduating students who are functionally illiterate and we are. And no one here can sit and tell me that we are not.
MCGEE: The mayor and D.C. Schools Chancellor Antwan Wilson, who was new to the district last year, laid out a list of solutions to address policy and compliance issues - a new grading policy, more training for teachers and principals and a review of each current senior's transcript, among others. But some teachers say those recommendations are just the first step. History teacher Scott Goldstein started a local teacher group called EmpowerEd. He says after compliance comes even tougher issues like the fact that most students in D.C. live in poverty.
SCOTT GOLDSTEIN: What we have to move onto now is what are the systemic issues that underlie the attendance and the low proficiency of our students? These aren't new challenges.
MCGEE: As the city and school system focus on solutions, Councilmember Elissa Silverman said the city's public school system has damaged its reputation.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
ELISSA SILVERMAN: What is really devastating about this report is that it impacts the credibility of a DCPS diploma.
MCGEE: Teachers say they're worried about that image, too. But more than that, they're worried about their students. And we've heard that from teachers across the country. After our initial report, many reached out to us to say this is happening in districts where they are too. For NPR News, I'm Kate McGee in Washington.