Kansas and federal officials reportedly are trying to reconcile puzzling differences in the ways high school dropout rates are being calculated; for example, Kansas put its 2001-02 graduation rate at 85 percent, but a recent national study put the state’s rate that year at 74 percent. Meanwhile, those on the front lines of crime and punishment might want to ponder some revealing related statistics, as reported by The Hutchinson News: Last year, 40 percent of Kansas’ 9,100 inmates were high school dropouts, and just 5 percent had received postsecondary education.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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10 Comments
Are we saying that higher education keeps a person from becoming a criminal? Or are we saying that some folks would rather be criminals than graduate from high school or college? I’m not sure Rhonda’s statistics prove anything, frankly.
The problem lies within school board policies. I went to a school in So. Cal. that had 4,000 students. If we skipped a class, that teacher notified the office at the end of the day and parents were called within 2 days with a letter sent. I never ditched.At my son’s high school, teachers rarely take roll. I wouldn’t get a report of absences until I got his grade card. We would show as being there many times when I had him out of class that day.I often saw a group of kids heading to a car first thing in the morning. They would meet at school and take off together before the first bell.I have seen many times a very large group of kids walking around the neighborhood across from the school during morning classes.A new policy they implimented last year was “sweep and keep”. If you are still in the hall when the bell rings, you are to report to the gym for the whole period. My son has been about to walk into his class and the teacher look him in the eye and close the door on his face.If a kid hates a class, he can just go to sweep and keep to stay away. It is not reported to the parents how many times they are in there. No one is really watching the halls, so if the kids don’t want to go to sweep and keep, they can leave the building.After a while the kids don’t care because the administration doesn’t care and they drop out. They have a lot of free time to do drugs, have sex and get into trouble.I feel that if I put my kid on a bus or drop him off at school and watch him walk in the building, it is now up to the school to make sure he is in class and is learning. That is the point of school.We need some tough Principles and administration and tough lock down policies if we have to. They could put alarms on the doors. Teachers could take roll everyday and parents could be notified of any absence including excused every week. If a kid is not interested in school, they could put him/her in a job training program at 16 like in Europe.It is a simple fix for a complicated problem.
janabanana, I like your idea of giving a 16 yr old kid an alternative to school if he/she can’t handle it. We need people with skills like plumbing, auto machanics, electronics, carpentry, etc. Some kids could do well in programs like these when they aren’t cut out to sit in a classroom all day.
Yes, we have our whole high school curriculum geared to college. Or that is what the ideal is. But our standards have slipped to the point where a lot of kids, even with good GPA’s who really aren’t prepared for college. I hear story after story of kids that had 4.0’s (or close to it) in high school absolutely blow their freshmen year of college.We should test kids at 15 and council them and their parents to see what they want for their future. At their Junior year they can go to a school that prepares them for college or go to a specialized trade school. This is the European system and it works pretty well.We could combine 7,8,9,10th grades into the high school buildings and specialize the junior high buildings into those specialized schools.
My husband often complains that he can’t find young people to hire who have technical skills. People with marketable skills can outearn those who have college degrees. My husband is the director of engineering at his company and he doesn’t have a 4 yr degree, he went to trade school back in the 60’s.
Exactly! I didn’t go to college until I was 30. Community Colleges are there to bridge the gap between high school, years of work experience and a 4 year degree. Kids can easily complete the basic requirements that are in the GED by the time they finish their 10th year. If they choose a trade and later decide to go to a traditional college, community colleges are there to help them catch up, review and move foward if they choose. Or they can just get an associates degree if there is a program that gives them more training.
janabanana, you need to run for the school board, you’re the fresh air it needs!
I would never be elected.Not in Kansas.People who get elected have usually worked in a school or on local Site Councils in a leadership capacity. I have sat through site council meetings and have watched them spend hours debating and getting nothing accomplished. Unfortunately I don’t think anything will ever change.
Haven’t you seen the billboards around town – your choice, school or handcuffs. Says it all. I need to take a picture of it and send it into Jay Leno.
Janab, you never know until you try. You’re obviously knowlegable, smart, and even more importantly, you care. I’d vote for you!