Kerry's Presidential prospects are definitely looking up ;)
What is his plan?
Throwing more money at the problem I hope!
/sarcasm
Of course, Kerry's numbers don't add up.
But a far graver issue than kids dropping out of school is the large number of kids who stay in school and who can't read.
As for the rest of America, with largely intact families, he's so far off as to be just funny.
why dont public schools just out-source to private catholic schools for half the cost and twice the edumacation?
A typical public school costs 10,000 per student
A typical private school costs 4000 (but you still have to pay your 'school taxes' too)
58% of all statistics are made up on the spot.
He's wrong.
The stats are a bit slippery, but the best study I'm aware of put the national graduation rate at 71% (1988).
http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/cr_baeo.htm
To get into the mid 50s you either have to look at rate for for African-American and Latino students nationally, or the overal rate for a state such as Georgia.
http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/cr_baeo_t2.htm
The statistic is wrong. Still, isn't it interesting that proponents of the public schools use their failure as a justification to ask for more money, more control over children's time and new programs like mandatory pre-school. In most areas of endeavor chronic failures are relieved of responsibility, not granted even more of it.
Kerry is still alive ??
I was flipping channels when I saw Lurch. Katie was giving him the "fair-and-balanced" approach (no glasses though) and Kerry's tongue was flicking like a serpent's.
The kids who drop out are either from families who think an education is not a big deal, or who are dead bored with sitting in a classroom day to day and not seeing how it connects with what they might want to do when they finish school. The former won't educate themselves, no matter how much money we throw at the problem because it is not in their worldview. The latter may benefit from vocational education programs that will teach them real-world skills with a bit of liberal arts thrown in their in order for them to get somewhat well rounded, but not with the same expecations of the kids who are preparing for college.
These kids need instruction in skills and trades that will earn them a decent wage, like construction, electrician work, plumbing, and HVAC work. The kids who are interested in this type of education are not interested in diagramming sentences, delving into a literary analysis of James Joyce, or learning the political ins and outs of Modern Europe. Save that for the kids who want to go to college. Give the other kids a break and teach them what they want and NEED do know to earn a decent living.
Mark Twain lies damn lies and statistics bump.
In NYC 52% of HS Freshmen will not graduate in four years. That is a fact, and maybe the source of his confusion. Bear in mind that NYC Public Schools are run by a small 'c' communist union.
It may be true that only 53% are children who graduated from high school. The other 47% were adults, over 18. Ain't numbers wonderful?
Ooops, Senator, it's 53% that actually graduate. But what I'm curious about is how these rates play out in his home state of Massachusetts where he has been senator for about 3 decades and his party has held a clear majority for ... well for a very long time. Hmm. He and Teddy have been in a position to enhance their own state's educational policies and the Mass state educational system should be stellar then, right? We should be seeing the clear fruits of their efforts within their state. Their literacy and graduation numbers should be phenomenol and a shining example to our nation and to the individual states. Ideas he should be eager to share with the nation in a bipartisan way. *sound of crickets* (I hope the DU trolls are reading this.)
I don't know how Mass state numbers actually play out, but he's just spreading the hate. I'd listen for his reply to this never asked question, but I don't have time to hit the slopes at Davos right now...
I say this because I never, ever seem to hear of anybody who fails to graduate. Now, I know this is anecdotal evidence from a middle classer, but with such HUGH numbers overall (53 percent), I would think I'd run into, or reliably hear of, at least some specific individuals who don't graduate from high school, and I never do. Where do they all go?