President Obama highlighted stronger federal efforts Monday to help lower a high school dropout rate that, according to the president, is undermining America's future economic potential.
Obama noted that the administration has committed $3.5 billion in new federal support for underperforming schools. Among other things, the Education Department is attempting to encourage states to identify and take new measures to reverse trends in schools with graduation rates below 60 percent...
The president argued underperforming teachers will need to be replaced in struggling school districts. But more accountability and higher standards, he said, need to be matched by greater federal funding and more parental involvement. link
I'm curious to see how more parental involvement will be tackled.
Bleh. Just give everyone a diploma at 12 and be done with it if "high school graduation" is all they're looking for.
ReplyDeleteThe parental involvement thing is scary, but already they're mandating eye exams at certain ages in Missouri for ps kids. I have *no stinkin' idea* how I will get my non-verbal child to cooperate with all this crap when he is older. He just won't. I'll just be out of compliance, I guess, because you can't make him sit still and read letters... yk?
I don't get how these people come up with these ideas and expect parents to magically cooperate with 'em.
I'm sure the next step will be to say that parents are not qualified to raise their own children and that all children should become wards of the state. You laugh, but think how we already are responsible for health, meals, after school, transportation and countless other formerly parental duties. Now we are even legally mandated to teach dental hygiene in school, which while it isn't a bad thing should be something parents tackle before kids reach school age. And don't get me started on other hygiene. The cultural salad bowl has already landed me in conferences because some of my students don't realize basic self care for that time of month. Sad in so many ways.
ReplyDeleteI suppose flogging as a means of discouraging dropping-out is, uh, out?
ReplyDeleteI'd like to know the definition for an "underperforming teacher". I would also like to know who will replace them.
ReplyDeleteGeorge
"Our kids get only one chance at an education, and we've got to get it right," Obama said.
ReplyDeleteIs it really this dire? My own life experience shows this to not be the case.
George
Graduation at sixteen like everywhere else in the world - drop-out problem fixed.
ReplyDelete