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Pittsburgh Courier NEW
www.newpittsburghcourier.com Vol. 115 No. 50 Two Sections
DECEMBER 11-17, 2024
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Black student graduate rates on the rise in Pittsburgh Public Schools Latest data shows 83.3 percent, almost a 9 percent jump from 2021 by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
African American high school graduate rates at Pittsburgh Public Schools have increased drastically over the past three years, to the tune of nearly 9 percent, the New Pittsburgh Courier has learned. While there is more work to be done, smiles are being seen from the Pittsburgh Public Schools Administration Building, to the Black graduates themselves. In 2021, 74.6 percent of Black high school students graduated. In 2022, the number increased to 81.2 percent, and in 2023, it reached 83.3 percent. The 83.3 percent rate is still lower than the overall PPS graduate rate of 86.1 in 2023, but the gap has been drastically lessened from the gap in 2021, when the Black graduate rate (74.6) was almost 7 percentage points lower than the overall number (81.5). Today, the gap is less than three points. The data from the state shows that the overall graduation rate for PPS increased as well, from 81.5 to 86.1 from 20212023. The 83.3 percent rate
for African American students in 2023 was about 8 percentage points lower than the White students' graduation rate in 2023, which was 91.0. What can be attributed to the jump in graduation rates in the PPS district? The district itself, in a press release dated Dec. 4, said that its "recent financial investments have significantly improved student-to-counselor ratios," bringing the district closer to the American School Counselor Association’s recommended ratio of 250:1. PPS said its average ratio is now no more than 350:1, a big improvement from the previous 699:1. What else has the district done? According to PPS, the Pittsburgh Promise is funding "Promise Coaches" in Carrick, Milliones, Perry and Westinghouse high schools. "These coaches work directly with students to ensure they have a clear post-secondary plan upon graduation, further supporting the District’s commitment to preparing students for success beyond high school," the district said in SEE GRADUATES A6
PITTSBURGH PUBLIC SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT DR. WAYNE WALTERS, SHOWN IN THIS PHOTO RECEIVING THE G.I.B.S.O.N. EDUCATION AWARD AT THE JOSH GIBSON FOUNDATION 2024 GALA IN OCTOBER. ALSO PICTURED ARE PPS BOARD MEMBERS DEVON TALIAFERRO AND SYLVIA WILSON.
Black-owned premier event space coming to Downtown Pittsburgh Opening in April 2025 on third floor of Greenwood Building by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
Get ready newlyweds, music performers, upcoming birthday babies, birthday showers and more, the New Pittsburgh Courier has learned exclusively that a new Black-owned
premier event space is coming to Downtown Pittsburgh. The Courier has learned that the 499-person-capacity space will be on the third floor of the Greenwood Building, in the 200 block of Smithfield Street. The event space is a col-
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laboration between Greenwood Plan executive director and founder Khamil Bailey and prominent Pittsburgh event planner Montia Robinson, who is also a Courier "Women of Excellence" honoree for 2024. "It seems to be a need that existed, especially for the Black community,"
COURIER EXCLUSIVE
Bailey told the Courier, Dec. 9. "And then having access to something like that Downtown, it was a need that needed to be filled." The event space, which has yet to be named, should be open by April 2025, Bailey said. The Black-owned event space is just another Blackowned entity that is opening up shop Downtown at the Greenwood Building, just like Bailey promised SEE EVENT SPACE A6
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KHAMIL BAILEY AND MONTIA ROBINSON WILL LEAD THE NEW PREMIER EVENT SPACE, OPENING ON THE THIRD FLOOR OF THE GREENWOOD BUILDING, DOWNTOWN, IN APRIL 2025.