Big is better in terms of African American graduation rates

Gains in educational attainment by African Americans show that, contrary to received wisdom, big cities are doing well: they produce African American high school graduates at rates higher than rates for African Americans overall.

Once it was thought by small town educators that their elementary and high schools were inherently superior to stereotypical urban school systems.

Now they can no longer generalize about big-city schools with assurance that urban schools are hotbeds of crime, full of decrepit buildings, demoralized teachers and indifferent parents.

The idea that big-city school standards are inferior to rural and small town districts is out, as is the idea …