In brief: Most of Washington’s high school graduates who start college finish

Most Washington students who graduated from high school between 2004 and 2008 went on to study in a two- or four-year college program.

And of those students who enrolled in college, more than half finished and earned a degree or certificate, according to data from The BERC Group, a research organization that tracks college graduation rates.

Due to reporting and editing errors, a story published Aug. 11 mischaracterized and thus understated the success of recent college-bound students.

The BERC data does not offer comparative national statistics.

The data correctly showed that over the 2004-2008 span, 30.6 percent of all Washington high school graduates went on to earn college degrees. In Spokane Public Schools that rate is 28.4 percent.

But the more relevant figure is the completion rate for high school graduates who entered college.

Staff report

Blinded Veterans Association hosts convention this week

The Blinded Veterans Association will hold its 68th annual convention this week at the Red Lion Hotel at the Park, drawing servicemen and servicewomen from around the globe downtown for four days.

The association dates back to the days immediately following World War II, when veterans with vision loss joined at a hospital in Connecticut to assist their colleagues in receiving benefits and rehabilitation. The group was chartered by Congress in 1958 and counts its current membership at approximately 11,500 nationwide.

Speakers at the convention will include Medal of Honor recipient Lt. Col. Joe M. Jackson, a Vietnam veteran who rescued three of his fellow Air Force members from a special forces camp under siege in March 1968. Also slated to attend the four-day event beginning Tuesday are Eric Shinseki, secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and U.S. Sen. Patty Murray.

The event is expected to draw veterans from as far away as the Republic of Georgia. Scheduled sessions include exhibitions of new technology designed to assist those with vision impairment and an awards dinner Friday night to include a keynote address from Shinseki.

Kip Hill