high school graduation rates (Dunwoody, Decatur: unemployment rate, transfer to, neighborhoods)

[RoslynHolcomb]

From what I've seen and heard early intervention programs and voc/tech training seem to be the best way to counteract high dropout rates. And when I say early, I mean really early. By some accounts we lose students, especially boys, as early as third grade. I heard a good story on npr the other day about the apprenticeship programs in Germany. Apparently it's a collaborative effort betwwen government and industry. It provides on the job training and an eventual good paying job for kids who choose the voc/tech track in school. Of course, the apprenticeship model goes back hundreds of years in Germany, but I don't see why some form couldn't be adopted here. We have a drop out crisis amongst young males and we're going to reap the whirlwind of a plethora of sicial ills including higher crime rates, welfare dependence, etc... If we don't address it.

[chalvey]

Originally Posted by arjay57

That's hard to believe. Berkmar 47%? Avondale 39%? Wheeler and Lakeside at 63%? Those were all stellar schools!!

What happened?? Whither goest America??

I think ATLTJL is right when saying that these numbers are "pessimistic". But it is definitely an eye opener. IMO, it's time to stop reassuring ourselves that everything is fine and confront the reality, so that we can start initiating reforms.

On a positive note, Decatur HS was 89.4%. Is this due to county kids unable to transfer into it?

[chalvey]

Originally Posted by RoslynHolcomb

From what I've seen and heard early intervention programs and voc/tech training seem to be the best way to counteract high dropout rates. And when I say early, I mean really early. By some accounts we lose students, especially boys, as early as third grade. I heard a good story on npr the other day about the apprenticeship programs in Germany. Apparently it's a collaborative effort betwwen government and industry. It provides on the job training and an eventual good paying job for kids who choose the voc/tech track in school. Of course, the apprenticeship model goes back hundreds of years in Germany, but I don't see why some form couldn't be adopted here. We have a drop out crisis amongst young males and we're going to reap the whirlwind of a plethora of sicial ills including higher crime rates, welfare dependence, etc... If we don't address it.

Germany does have a good education system. I was recently giving a presentation in class about the Belgian educational model. It is a voucher system and the kids need to take an entrance exam to get into the school of their choice. There are no attendance zones. The bad schools go out of business due to lack of demand. Belgium is ranked 8th, according to the OECD. Also, the quality of our teachers need to improve. In Finalnd all teachers have to hold a masters degree and be from the top 10% of the class. They are ranked 2nd.

Below is a picture of the Belgian model. At the age of 13 (secondary school), one has to decide what area they want to go into.

[RoslynHolcomb]

Interesting. So they're in kinderten from 3-6 and start school at seven? I think they do that in Finland as well. I think thopis would be great for our kids, especially boys. I think a lot of European countries have an entrance exam with kids placed on a certain track upon entering high school. We had something similar when I was a kid. Not the exam, but kids could choose a voc/tech track, and attend trade classes at a local community college. They would then graduate high school with a trade. Some of my friends got their cosmetolgy license that way. My brother trained in HVAC while still in high school. I think there were some core classes they had to take, but other than that it was all tech. Does this still exist?

[chalvey]

About Europe, I cannot speak for the continent, but I was born in the U.K and am familiar with that system

You are right. In the U.K, there is the 11+ exam, which 11 year old's can take to gain entry into either a grammar school (think magnet program) or a comprehensive school (normal schools). This was mandatory until the 1970's, but some counties still have the old system. If you are interested, Google the Tripartite system. Each school is divided into subcategories (i.e. academic, college prep, and honor, etc) so every student gets attention.

I believe that Gov. Deal indicated that, in the near future, children will pick a career path they are interested in, when they enter the 9th grade. At least it is a start.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by arjay57

And the Chinese are eating our lunch.

I think you can blame corporate America for that more than the public school system, since those are the folks who are choosing to offshore functions and valuing short term profit over national (and employee) status and development.

Where would China be without their factories creating goods for American markets?

That said, the graduation rates are not good. I know that, in some cases, kids end up dropping out to work, but there don't seem to be any statistics about where the kids actually go instead of school...

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by rcsteiner

I think you can blame corporate America for that more than the public school system, since those are the folks who are choosing to offshore functions and valuing short term profit over national (and employee) status and development.

Well, that's a factor. Still I just can get over us having high schools where over 50% of the students simply quit before finishing.

[PeteATL41]

Parents need to make education a top priority in the home. There is little a school can do in 6 or 7 hours per day 180 or so days per year if it is not fully supported and reinforced at home. Early education is critical for building the foundation for later success and unfortunately it is not universally available expect for those who can afford to pay for it...

[arjay57]

If they live in the city of Atlanta, all of these students have a Cadillac education available to them for free if they want it. However they have to actually show up.

[bryantm3]

y'all are WAY off the mark. ever notice that the highest dropout rates are in lower income communities? it's not because the kids are stupid or are less able to pay attention, it's because the kids are poor and they need money. when it comes to helping your dad out when he has to take on a second job to pay the bills versus worrying about a calculus test, it's not such an cut and dry issue. y'all are making it seem like the kids that drop out do so because they want to. many don't have any other choice.

as much as newt gingrich is nuts, he had a damned good point about paying kids to do jobs around the school. as wonderful as it is to imagine a world where kids and teenagers can entirely focus on school, it's sadly not realistic and making plans for an imaginary world is only digging us deeper into this hole. if the kids can spend one or two periods doing office work or helping wash dishes and send money home, the opportunity they have to stay in school increases.