34 South Main St., Attleboro, MA - (508) 222-7000
News
Experts doubt dropout scheme
 The clock tower at the North Attleboro Police Department. (Staff photo by MARK STOCKWELL)
Top Headlines Teens who want to drop out need alternatives to traditional education, not just a law mandating they remain in school, they said. "Keeping kids in school by law is not going to make a big difference," said Charles Glenn, a dean at Boston University School of Education. "Not every kid prospers from being in high school," he said. Patrick said Monday he wants a law passed to raise the age for dropping out of school from 16 to 18. Glenn said simply raising the age is not the answer. He points to his own son who dropped out of high school and got a job at a start-up software company. The son was successful there and later went to college. He is now working on a doctoral degree in mathematics, Glenn said. The key is to provide a meaningful alternative for teens who do not succeed or do not want to continue with traditional high school, he said. Glenn said the United States should look at the German system, which provides work apprenticeships while requiring the teens take courses at night. Patrick threw his support behind a bill calling for the legal dropout age to be raised. The governor said the current system is a vestige of the agricultural era and no longer works. He cited studies that found that dropouts earn significantly less money over the course of their lifetime than those who complete high school and college. Patrick was speaking at a conference in Worcester, which also heard from economist Andrew Sum. Sum said high school dropouts earn an average of $16,000 a year. High school graduates earn $26,000, college graduates $50,000 and those with a master's degree make an average of $75,000 a year. "Dropouts can simply not achieve an adequate standard of living in the 21st century United States or 21st century Massachusetts," the Worcester Telegram quoted Sum as saying. But, local educators said teens who want to drop out have already had problems in traditional settings and are unlikely to succeed without alternatives. Forcing them to stay in school could also make them disruptive. Francis Connor, superintendent of Dighton-Rehoboth Regional Schools, said dropouts are not a significant problem in his system. Still, he said, those who are at risk of dropping out need extra help or a different way of attending school. He said for city schools with higher dropout rates, keeping students in school until age 18 will require a major investment in funds for alternative programs. "They need finances and programs and resources. This is a unique population. They need counseling services and tutoring and individual programs because traditional programs have not been successful," he said. Attleboro High School Principal Donald Frederick said forcing older teens to stay in school when they do not want to be there could cause concerns. He said Attleboro has The Network, an alternative high school, that is a "wonderful program" for students who do not succeed in the regular high school. Providing a high-quality General Education Development, or GED, program is also essential, he said. Some students who drop out get their diploma through a GED program, go to community college, then a four-year college and do quite well, he said. "Some students just can't function in a traditional setting," he said.
Post Your Comments Nice Headlone wrote on Mar 7, 2007 2:46 PM: " Scheme is right. Looks like the governor is trying to keep everyone distracted by his "progressive ideas" " He's Right wrote on Mar 7, 2007 2:02 PM: " College level instructor is right. (Time to preach) Neither of my parents went beyond HS but they taught us to respect education by making sure we were at school and not on vacation or pretending to be sick when we should be in school. I learned to use the basic math and science from elementary school when my father showed my siblings and me how to measure area and volume for home project. Working on the backyard (above ground) pool I learned about pH and mixing of chemicals. And if I brought home a less than acceptable grade (A's were acceptable) it was not the teacher's fault. It was mine.
You can't teach respect for education and work ethic at school, it has to be at home. School is for formal instruction, home is where you put it into practice.
I say lower the drop out age to 15. " Ha Ha wrote on Mar 7, 2007 1:02 PM: " It sounds like College level instructor is concerned that Hillary's village won't be able to raise the children. " College level instructor wrote on Mar 7, 2007 12:33 PM: " The drop out issue, like so many others starts at home, not in schools.
Are parents teaching their kids to respect teachers - not if what teachers tell me is true. Parents are on the phone if little Billy and Susie aren't treated the way they should be. I know of one parent who complained to a HS honors teacher about her son's grade. SHe badgered to have him admitted to the class, but then the kid did very little of the work.
Or maybe your kids are apathetic about their education? Do you take them out of school for vacations? Do you write a note if they just don't feel like going to school. Do they hear you on the phone lying to your boss about your absence? What do you expect? Parents want schools to retain students, teach them ethics, morals, self-esteem... I don't know when Algebra gets in there. " mother of one wrote on Mar 7, 2007 11:09 AM: " i think that patricks plan is a very good one. maybe if kids worked alittle harder in school they would think twice about staying there 2 extra years. the teachers today work very hard to motivate but they would benifit alot if the parents also took steps to ensure the kids get the push they need at home. this drop out issue starts in grade one NOT high school. parents teach your children now before you are struggling with them in there 16th year> " Wasted wrote on Mar 7, 2007 10:08 AM: " Why does the gov want to waste my money on thugs marking time? It sounds like another one of his feel good programs that wind up costing the towns. " Maybe wrote on Mar 7, 2007 9:16 AM: " Dr. Glenn raises a good point. But his son dropped out obviously because he was bored. An anomaly if I ever saw one.
Rather than baby sitting the teens who would rather be outside intimidating old people let's spend the money on advanced programs for kids like Dr. Glenn's son and let the others wash his son's car and make the sandwiches at D'Angelo's.
" or
|
