School Bailout: Student Dropouts Are the Next Big Failing Financial Assets

Schools are being shaped by the national and more micro dynamics of race, class, and culture. Let's not forget that most of the students that are dropping out are from poor communities. The 12% of schools producing nearly half of the dropouts are schools with extremely limited resources and generally have teachers with the least amount of experience. The students dropping out lack the 360 degrees of support for 365 days a year to stay engaged in school and become productive, contributing members of society.

While we debate whether or not an educational crisis is a recycled political argument, we're avoiding the real issues - What do parents, families, educators, etc. in these communities need in order to help students be more successful in school and in life? How can we bring the adults and students who are doing the work in the trenches to the table where decisions are being made? Equal is not equitable.

of CA 2:55PM January 09, 2009

Allow kids to be able to get out of school at age 16 to try an get accepted into a Military School (most kids don't go) to get a Diploma or Certificate of some sort. Some of those schools are problems.

Some teachers are the problems and the kids learn of things they do and lose respect for them, Some teachers make comments for the kids to hear them talk to other teachers or students about them, some teachers are only there for the paychecks. Don't get me wrong, there are very good teachers out there also.

What happened to no-child-left behind? What does that mean? Today's kids are so different than us. What worked for us does not work for today's children. There should be subjects in schools to meet the needs of today's kids. What is zero tolerance? There is no perfect person on this earth. What did God say? There will be trials and tribulations for us all.The sun shines on us all whether good or bad. It's alright to have rules and that's a good thing but, there is no perfection. There is a worse side to all of us no matter how hard we try to cover it up.Some kids get good home training and still go astray. Some of my high school classmates were good in sports and other activities, good name on campus but, after graduating became drug addicts, wine-o's and eventually died from that type of life no-jobs. They were people that I thought would be successful. All of the first string Basketball players died early except one. And to that I say it'a all about our choices, and the thought of being an adult is scary some times. A question for you the readers: Should there be classes in how to deal with today's stress or what about have a nobody is perfect class but try to be your best in all things but leave room for inperfections

Mary of SC 8:53AM December 30, 2008

As a secondary level teacher in the Los Angeles school system, I also am appalled at the drop-out rate. However, I am more appalled by the very large number of students who come to school because they are mandated & have no interest in learning. In their peer culture, being called 'straight- A' is a major DIS. It means you don't really know what life's all about & have no CRED at all. We have become a conveyer-belt system of child care where we try to keep some semblance of order during our watch. If students happen to learn something, that's great. Otherwise, if we can keep the simmering pot from boiling over we have to accept the compromise.

The real tragedy is the large number of students who really would like to learn but who are traumatized by their home living environment, peer-to-peer pressures & intimidation. As many will tell me, "it's really hard to concentrate & learn when you're afraid". As long as the public school system is required to warehouse societies’ delinquents it will be a failure. Magnet School Programs have had some success but even in this environment there are too many common occurrences of fighting, assault, intimidation & harassment.

The usual critics blame society, governments, lack of funds, school boards, school administration, lack of facilities, teachers, difficult exams, etc. but no one blames the parents & guardians of the students. In most home environments of under-performing students, where children's self-images & attitudes are shaped, can be found the sources of the same attitudes that the students bring to school. However, no parent or guardian seems willing to accept the reality that they provide the foundation upon which their children’s future success or failure is built.

MadMaxx of CA 10:05PM December 28, 2008

I’m not entirely sure why you have challenged my reasoning and dispute my obvious facts, but unlike you, I will not make the assumption that you are a “...victim of lack of education.”

Let’s take them one at a time;

“I saw a few of the old Kennedy-Nixon debates from 1960. I smiled as I heard them discuss the "crisis in education" as well as, taxes, the economy and defense spending.”

Unless my eyes and ears deceived me, this was, in fact, the case. Further, I would suppose that nearly all presidential debates since have contained similar themes regarding the state of education and need for enormous increases in funding.

“ Just about the only one of our current issues they didn't debate was "Global Warming" - Maybe because, back then, the earth was in a cooling cycle and at that time most kids graduated from , at least, Junior High School, and knew the earth had seen hundreds of periods of climate change...”

Now, your comment regarding the paragraph above;

“maybe you may have a point there with global warming if you haven't noticed the alarming rise in sea levels and glacial meltdown. “

I must admit you may be right on this one. As a matter of fact, I have not noticed an “alarming rise” in sea levels or glacial meltdown. However, I am aware that since the peak of the the last Ice Age (Pleistocene Epoch) about 18000 years ago, sea levels have risen about 400 feet. The average amount of increase is about 24” per century - I note that during the last century sea levels have risen approx. 7.2 inches, or about 30% of the average rise in sea level before the advent of the “Industrial Age”.... Further, I point out that during the last interglacial period (as we’re in now) glaciers disappeared and both polar ice caps were reduced by 90% - And, sea levels were about 25 feet higher than now. Please note that there were no factories or SUVs during that period of history - Simply the workings of natural Earth and Sun cycles. As a matter of fact, if man were indeed capable of delaying the next Ice Age it would save billions of lives and hundreds of species. I advise you to consider the implications of glaciers and permafrost as far south as say, 38 degrees north, latitude.

You’re final comment;

“this pervasive ignorance among individuals who have the power to make necessary changes here scare me.”

I do believe there is “pervasive ignorance” among those who govern our nation - This situation has not changed as a result of the last election. Sadly, those “... individuals who have the power to make ‘necessary’ changes...”, have absolutely no idea of what is necessary, efficacious or even possible - And that scares me.

R.L. Schaefer of CA 2:03PM December 27, 2008