Does the public school system you live in offer bailouts?

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rudder

Lifer
Nov 9, 2000
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Give them an 'H'

According to the article the nations high school drop out rate is 30%. So by not giving a failing grade.. that number can be reduced. Does that mean if the drop out rate can be reduced to 10% we now have successful schools in the U.S.?

What type of responsibility is being taugh by saying you have a due date for an assignement, but don't worry, if you miss it you won't get a zero, just an H. You can turn it in whenever.

WHat is going to happen in 5 years when these kids are working at McDonalds and they are asked to do a task. It is not like they are going to be able to blow off dropping some frozen fries in the oil... it is going to have to be done at that time. There are no second chances like an H in the real working world.

Here in Tennessee we have a lotto funded scholarship. $4000/year to any student making a 3.5 GPA or better. Of course more people could goto school and everyone was happy. But students statting losing scholarships because they could not maintain a 3.5. The solution drop the GPA requirements. So now the lottery scholarship is projected to have a shortfall.

What ever happened to teaching responsibility and working hard for your rewards?

 

Genx87

Lifer
Apr 8, 2002
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Does anybody have data about the drop out rates of highschool students over the past ~100 years? 30% seems awfully high as a national avg.

I have met more and more people who simply didnt graduate from highschool. It really baffles me. Are these kids that stupid? Or are they simply that lazy or dont care about graduating?
 

bbdub333

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Aug 21, 2007
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Originally posted by: Genx87
Does anybody have data about the drop out rates of highschool students over the past ~100 years? 30% seems awfully high as a national avg.

I have met more and more people who simply didnt graduate from highschool. It really baffles me. Are these kids that stupid? Or are they simply that lazy or dont care about graduating?

They obviously have ADHD.
 

rudder

Lifer
Nov 9, 2000
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Originally posted by: Genx87
Does anybody have data about the drop out rates of highschool students over the past ~100 years? 30% seems awfully high as a national avg.

Yeh thinking back that does seem kind of high. I think California is at 25%. So unless there is another populous state out there with a much higher rate. At any rate... it is really not that hard to get out of high school Dropouts probably just don't like any kind of structure or authority and just have to get out of there.
 

SammyJr

Golden Member
Feb 27, 2008
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Originally posted by: bbdub333
Originally posted by: Genx87
Does anybody have data about the drop out rates of highschool students over the past ~100 years? 30% seems awfully high as a national avg.

I have met more and more people who simply didnt graduate from highschool. It really baffles me. Are these kids that stupid? Or are they simply that lazy or dont care about graduating?

They obviously have ADHD.

A percentage might have ADHD, but its more likely that its crappy parenting and poverty.
 
Aug 23, 2000
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Originally posted by: Genx87
Does anybody have data about the drop out rates of highschool students over the past ~100 years? 30% seems awfully high as a national avg.

I have met more and more people who simply didnt graduate from highschool. It really baffles me. Are these kids that stupid? Or are they simply that lazy or dont care about graduating?

Well I think we are at an age where the school cirriculum doesn't work anymore.
Someone else, here I think, proved what needs to be done. Instead of k-12 being targeted at getting kids ready for college, it needs to be k-6 to get them accustom to doing school work and finding out their interests, and then 7-12 needs to be more targeted towards what they want to do in life. Teaching more specifics. Do we need to keep going on about history and higher levels of math for someone that wants to be an auto mechanic? Or does someone that wants to be a scientist need to take social studies or P.E.

Make school something the kids want to do and you'll reduce the drop out rate.
 

rudder

Lifer
Nov 9, 2000
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Originally posted by: JeffreyLebowski

Well I think we are at an age where the school cirriculum doesn't work anymore.
Someone else, here I think, proved what needs to be done. Instead of k-12 being targeted at getting kids ready for college, it needs to be k-6 to get them accustom to doing school work and finding out their interests,
and teaching critical thinking skills.


Originally posted by: JeffreyLebowski
and then 7-12 needs to be more targeted towards what they want to do in life. Teaching more specifics. Do we need to keep going on about history and higher levels of math for someone that wants to be an auto mechanic? Or does someone that wants to be a scientist need to take social studies or P.E.

Make school something the kids want to do and you'll reduce the drop out rate.

[/quote]
I suppose there is a perception that if you are not college material you are a failure. I like the schools in Germany where you are graduated with an employable skill through apprenticeships in something you hopefully like to do if you are choosing not to go to college.

 

Triumph

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
15,031
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Lowering the school standards will always, always result in failure, just failure by another measurement. By lowering the standards, educators are saying that kids can't do something, which is an absolute, bold faced lie.

My proposed solution is a 12 year plan. Year one, leave everything the way it is except for the students in 1st grade. RAISE their standards, teach them a little more, push them a little harder. Year two, do the same for first and second grades. Year three, first, second, and third. By year 12 you will have completely revamped your education system so that kids are used to achieving a higher level, and you don't have a massive dropout rate by trying to make a semi-literate 17 year old pass an AP calculus exam. The problem with this approach is that it takes time, and like everything else in America, everyone wants results nownownownownownow.

I also agree with the apprenticeship program rudder mentioned above. College is a waste for a large percentage of people, especially right out of high school. The push for college prep is the sole driving factor behind the cost increases in higher education. But the problem with the German model, from talking with my cousins who are 15 and 18, they have to set their life path a bit too early, and are kind of stuck in that path. I think it's easier to make changes to your course over here. But, their system is generally pretty good.
 
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