"No child left behind."

Its not only 21 year olds getting pushed out, its at all levels that teachers are forced to pass students that should fail, or that the administration changes grades. Its corruption on a high level. The teachers are blamed for students that fail, but these same students don't do any homework, don't show up to class, and just overall don't care. That absolutely isn't the teacher's fault. It's such nonsense that the teachers have to put up with the abuse from the students, the parents, and the administration.

NYC is ridiculous. It's completely inappropriate to have 21 year olds mingling in school with 15 year olds.

As a graduate of NYC's #4 public high school, the year i graduated, the NY Times actually rated our school #1 because our graduation rate was higher than Stuyvesant's. Those of us who were there knew why the graduation rate was so high: there was a decent-sized group of students that definitely did not meet the standards to pass that year, but miraculously they managed to get passing grades. I guess the new principal that year needed to prove herself worthy of the position.

Papercutninja, what high school did you go to?

'surf class' - will you be joining them on the beach?

Until we, as a whole society, value education and teachers, we will continue to produce graduates who cannot become autonomous, productive members of our society. Teachers are grossly underpaid and under-rewarded. Parents ae too often absent or uninvolved in their children's education. Without parental support, no child can be expected to achieve. While the simple problem is schools getting pressure to produce quantity rather than quality, the larger issue is a question of values.

This is not surprising. It's worse - as someone who taught in the New York City public school system for two years, I assure you that the school mentioned in the article is not the only one. I was pressured by my own administration to pass students who never showed up to class, or to give them "make up work" they could complete in the last few days of class (or retroactively... if they failed a class last semester, I was expected to hunt them down the following semester and try to give them make up work so we could change their grades) and pass. The worst part is that the kids who actually do their work and come to class end up feeling like there's no point, because they look around and see other kids doing nothing and still passing. Expectations get lowered all around. It's disgusting that this happens, and it's disgusting that Bloomberg and Joel Klein sit around patting themselves on the back for a job well done when all we're really doing is a huge disservice to the students in this system. These kids end up graduating high school barely being able to read, therefore having little to no skills that will make them productive members of society. Seriously makes me sick.

You can't blame bloomberg! These kids were first failed by their parents. Living in New York they have a greater amount of resources available to them than most Americans. Let them fail. Let them fall into the judiciary system. I'd rather my tax dollars go to lethal injections than welfare checks.

And you sir win this week's "Idiot Comment of the Week"

At 21 years old, what difference does it make if they give her a diploma now? Its not like she's going to use this fraudulent certification to get into Yale followed by a job with Goldman Sachs.

At this point, it at least gives her a shot for SOME job someday

This has to be the most racist action I've heard of in years. It goes right along with that contemptuous bugaboo, Social Promotion. That old education alliance, the Teacher's Union and the Livingston Street Bd Of Ed (finally eliminated by Mayor Bloomberg) were the reason for that. It boils down to the credo, you can't teach these Cretins (PC) anything, just get them the Hell out of here. If they had kicked out those non-educable no show trouble makers when they should have they wouldn't be embarrassed by their actions now.

The old Board of Education is dead, Bloomberg has been in control of the NYC school system for eight years now and he said this was a priority of his. Not only that but he keeps holding bogus press conferences with Joel Klein about how the scores are improving and we keep finding out that it's not because the kids are doing better but because the standards are lowered or they're using a different scoring system or whatever they come up with so it reflect better on them. He said that social promotion was a thing of the past but here it is, they're still doing it.

But don't be Politically Correct (PC) say what's on your mind, don't worry you can hide behind your keyboard. When you say "you can't teach these Cretins (PC)" who are you specifically referring to?

Closing this school can't be a bad thing.

Funny: her (I believe) Facebook page lists her as Lafayette Class of '06. And says she attends BMCC. I have a hunch she's capable of lying. But, and don't tell anyone this, journalists are too. Snap! Just sayin, tho. srsly

Wasn't Bloomberg going to be the "Education Mayor"? (More like the Real Estate developer's mayor)

Didn't he say “Judge me on the schools”?

Well Bloomberg YOU GET AN F, YOU FAILED!

Give him a diploma! Yea!!!!!!

"There wasn't no problem."

Knock me over with a feather.

Tatiana sounds like a real winner, I wonder how many children she has already