Family Life

04.05.10 | FL News Team

As the NCAA Tournament heads to the final round, the White House is looking for ways to increase the graduation rates of student athletes. Education Secretary Arne [[ AR-nee ]] Duncan suggested schools with the worst graduation records should be banned from playing in the tournament. Georgetown basketball coach John Thompson the Third, however, does not agree. He spoke with CNN's "State of the Union," saying he agrees with the need for academic accountability, but not the secretary's proposal. Thompson has an 82-percent graduation rate among his players. He said too many schools are focused on winning and don't have the academic support structures in place to help their players earn a degree. The worst school in this year's tournament was highly-rated Maryland, which graduated 33-percent of white players and zero-percent of black players.