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 What's wrong with America's High Schools? 
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I just read this article on CNN.com, it is from time magazine. It certainly brought some alarming trends to my attention.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/04/09/time.cover/index.html

Almost 1 in 3 students will drop out of high school. I honestly had no idea that many students were dropping out. The article says, "For Latinos and African-Americans, the rate approaches an alarming 50 percent. Virtually no community, small or large, rural or urban, has escaped the problem." Once again, this is a truly alarming statistic. What does everyone else think?

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Bobby Helbert


Tue Apr 11, 2006 9:40 am
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I also learned about this today while watching Oprah. The numbers are astonishing. How do they expect the US to remain at the top in this world, if our students are not even completing high school. We can't let this happen otherwise we will fall behind. Oprah quoted that the United States, the richest country in the world, that we scored 24th when tested in math compared to the world. This is shocking to me and it hurts to think that we will be working towards an education for these students when so many of them will drop-out. Illinois has come up with a plan for their dropout situation. Students that drop out of high school before the age 18 will have their license taken away and will also not be allowed a job permit. This has just been put into effect and I am wondering if this new law will help their dropout. If it does, I think it should go into affect across the country.

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Kristina Bleynat


Tue Apr 11, 2006 3:58 pm
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I think Bobby's CNN article and what Kristina heard on Oprah just further goes to prove the cliche that "education is the key to success". If our students are dropping out of high school and our test rankings are dropping, it's awfully optimistic to think that the United States is going to remain as rich and powerful (comparatively) as we are today forever. Something must be done. I like Illinois' idea. It's also ironic to hear these high school drop out statistics while also hearing that more students than ever before are going to college these days. How does that add up?

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Lauren Leslie


Tue Apr 11, 2006 4:44 pm
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It seems as if the "success gap" is growing. What I mean is that more students than ever are dropping out of high school but in order to get a decent job, college is becoming a necessity. In the past, if you had a high school diploma there were lots of jobs that are now filled by people with college degrees. I think that we are eliminating the possibility for people to make a decent living right out of high school. On the subject of the Illinois law, I think this is a great idea. When someone drops out of high school, I think they are too young to understand how that will affect the rest of their life. If you provide some pretty serious immediate consequences, then perhaps they will realize the downside before they even drop out.

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Bobby Helbert


Sun Apr 23, 2006 9:32 am
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1 in 3 is a crazy number, but I believe it. These days kids go to high school not to prepare themselves for the world, but just to prepare themselves for college. What's the point of passing Algebra II(highest math required in NC) if you are just planning to work at a gas station to support your family instead of going to college. It is a shame that some kids never get that extra push that encourages them to go to college after high school. That is what needs changing, guidance counselors need to start pushing as many kids in the college direction as possible.

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Karl Rahn


Sat Apr 29, 2006 3:04 pm
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