NEW YORK, April 27 (Xinhua) -- U.S. public education from kindergarten to the 12th grade shows relatively poor performance and more political attention is required in this regard, said a report by The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday.

       Two-thirds of Black and Hispanic kids in K-12 schools of New York City never reach proficiency in reading though spending per pupil is more than double the national average, according to the report.

       Only 24 percent of middle-school students test at or above proficiency in reading and 21 percent in math in Chicago, said the report.

       There is an obvious connection between poor schooling and high crime rates and school dropouts are far more likely to become substance abusers, single parents and violent criminals, noted the report.

       Though recent high-school graduates earned higher grade-point averages, their scores on standardized tests were flat in science and lower in math in comparison with their peers over the previous ten years, according to a recent report by the U.S. Department of Education.