dropout nation

[briannell]

disturbing trend is still 3 in 10 high school students will drop out for reasons other than grades, drugs, or even pregnancy. I was reading the gates foundation site, and they state that boredom is the leading cause of drop out rates. Poor academics being taught, low technology, and very little diversity in schools. The gates foundation had a great "plan" for bringing our high schools into the millenium, those that are interested in eduacation might want to check out the site and read the report. our lack of prepared future workers should be a great concern to the country.

The Challenge Facing Our Nation



The failure of U.S. high schools to adequately prepare young people for college or work is too big to ignore. We outline why the problem is so urgent and offer solutions in the article below.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


For generations, Americans have worked to ensure that their children's lives will be better than their own. This core belief has remained strong even in a rapidly changing world, and a good education has long been considered the key to success. Yet while the kind of education young people must acquire to succeed today is drastically different, the nation’s schools have not changed in decades. The consequences are tragic:

Nationwide, three out of every 10 students who enter high school this year will not graduate in the typical four years. For African American students, the number is more than four in 10. For Hispanic students, it's nearly five in 10


High school dropouts are twice as likely as their graduating classmates to slip into poverty. In 2001, four out of 10 young adults who had no high school diploma got some type of government assistance. In 2004, nearly three-quarters of all high school dropouts didn't have jobs


Students who do graduate from high school still face a tough climb. About a third of all new jobs require at least some college. And seven of the 10 fastest growing job categories call for education beyond high school


Meanwhile, businesses report they can't find enough qualified workers. By 2020, the nation may face a shortage of 14 million workers with college-level skills.