Many cops here have stories about busts that either didn't happen or almost didn't happen when the streets made an opposite ruling. We know we can do better than just three students. The background checks will still be conducted but not at parental cost. "It is OK if all of our students don't end up with a four-year diploma. "The thing about Camden is, when you come back here, you can always say, 'At least my life is better than what I thought,'" says Adrian.
– Just how bad are things in Camden's schools? So bad that only three students there managed a "college ready" SAT score in 2013, new superintendent Paymon Rouhanifard revealed yesterday. He called the number a "kick-in-the-stomach moment." It was one of a number of sobering assessments Rouhanifard delivered in presenting the results of his August "listening tour" to the school board, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. "It is OK if all our students don't end up with a four-year diploma," he said. "But we can do better than three students." Rouhanifard also announced that the district would do away with the $75 fee for a background check it has been charging parents who want to volunteer; the schools will now cover the checks. Camden is plagued by poverty and crime—Rolling Stone had a damning piece last week declaring it "America's most desperate town"—and only 53% of its students graduate high school. But "college ready" SAT scores are a little harder to come by than you might assume; only 43% of students hit the College Board's 1550 benchmark this year.