Fact Checker: Rick Perry's Texas education claims, Do they mess with the facts?

Introduction

'Last year, Texas (had the) second highest high school graduation rates in America. We had the highest African American graduation rates. The highest Hispanic graduation rate. That whole issue about skilled workforce. If my memory is correct, you know which state had the highest? I'm in it. So congratulations. It's setting the bar up there. And we've been moving up, so Terry, well I'm no longer the governor, but Texas is on his tail. He's continuing to set the pace.'

Source of claim: Rick Perry, GOP presidential candidate and former Texas governor, during a campaign stop in Iowa this spring

Analysis

Perry, 65, who was Texas governor from 2000-2015, said the nation's second-best graduation rates bolstered Texas's work force, which in turn attracted new businesses and fueled a vibrant economy.

The same dynamic is true in Iowa, he said with a nod to Iowa's influential Republican Gov. Terry Branstad.

But was Perry stretching the truth about educational accomplishments in Texas or Iowa?

A Perry spokeswoman said the claims are backed by data from the National Center for Educational Sciences, which is part of the U.S. Department of Education.

According to the agency's most recent data, in 2012-13, Iowa had a 90 percent public 4-year high school graduation rate, which is the top rate in the country. Texas came in at 88 percent, tied for second with Wisconsin, Nebraska, New Jersey and North Dakota, according to the data.

As far as ethnic and racial data, Perry again was on the money. The most recent high school graduation rate for Hispanic students in Texas was 85.1 percent, while it was 84.1 percent for black students. Both rates were, as he said, highest in the nation.

Russell Rumberger, professor of education at University of California-Santa Barbara and director of the California Dropout Research Project, said the education department figures track how many of a freshman cohort successfully graduate in four years.

If anything, the data may understate graduation rates because they don't include a student who drops out but returns to complete school after four years, Rumberger said.

Still, Rumberger disagrees with the political rhetoric suggesting graduation rates equate to quality of education. The rates measure the accumulation of credits not necessarily educational quality, he said.

'It's a crude indicator,' Rumberger said. 'I would not judge the merits of an educational system on that, and certainly not that alone.'

There also may be flaws in the numbers. Some schools offer online courses, which are less rigorous and more prone to abuse, as part of a credit-recovery program to buoy graduation numbers, he said.

The Texas Tribune cited examples where schools graduated ineligible students.

Rumberger suggested getting a better picture by looking at multiple data sources, including the Advanced Placement Program, or AP, which measures preparedness for college.

According to the most recent AP Report to the Nation, 18.5 percent of the Texas class of 2013 scored a 3 or higher out of 5 on the AP exam, and only 11.1 percent of Iowa students scored at least a 3. A 3 is the lowest score considered 'qualified' for college. Iowa and Texas are below the national average on this front.

Less than 40 percent of graduating students in each state took the test, according to the report.

Conclusion

A high graduation rate don't necessarily mean students are prepared for college, or the workforce. As Rumberger said, you can't simply look at graduation rates alone to measure success. There is always more to the story.

Still, Perry's figures check out, and they come from a reputable source, the U.S. Department of Education. We give this an A.

n If you have comments on this Fact Checker or have suggestions of claims to check, contact the Fact Checker team at factchecker@thegazette.com