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How Far Should We Go to Lower the High School Dropout Rate?
By JLP | August 21, 2008
There’s no question that dropping out of high school is almost always a bad decision with serious consequences. That said, what should school districts do to help kids stay in school? How far should they go?
I ask this because I read this ($) in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal (emphasis mine):
DALLAS — As students prepare to return to school here Monday, teachers and parents criticized the relaxation of the district’s grading policies in a state that helped trigger national testing requirements.
The Dallas Independent School District’s new policies give students who do poorly more chances to improve their grades. Among the changes: High-school students who fail major tests can retake them within five school days, and only the higher scores count.
School officials say the changes are designed to reduce one of the highest dropout rates in the state. According to the Texas Education Agency, 25.8% of students in the Dallas district who enrolled as ninth-graders in 2003 dropped out before their class’s scheduled 2007 graduation.
I don’t think lowering the standard is the answer! Instead of lowering standards, shouldn’t we be working to stress the importance of education to kids and parents?
More from the article:
“Chief among the reasons children drop out of school is because they are failing their course work,” says Denise Collier, the Dallas district’s chief academic officer. “We don’t want to give them a pass, but at the same time we don’t want to pass them over.”
Like I said, kids need to understand that this isn’t playtime—it’s school time. Besides, how does this work in the real world? “Ah boss, I’m sorry I messed up that account. I’ll go ask them for a second chance. I’m sure they’ll understand.” Good luck with that one.
It’s really a shame that things have come to the point that school districts feel like they have to lower the standards in order for kids to “succeed.”
In case you’re interested, here’s some other related links to read:
Dallas ISD Defends Changes in Grading Policy
This pretty much sums up my thoughts on the matter: Editorial: DISD Grading Policy Needs Improvement
What are your thoughts? How do we get kids (and parents) to take school seriously?
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