Did you read the article about Los Angeles graduation rate of 44% ? They could probably keep half of the dropouts in school if they had enough voc ed programs to go around.
I think we just all need to be supporting vouchers. Some kids could go into schools where they teach vocations. However, it is all by choice.
Yes I did. And, the ones who did graduate - how well were they taught anything ?
They might keep these kids in school if they taught the kids how to read by 3rd grade.
I had a great-uncle who dropped out of school after 4th grade (in 1914). He went on to be very successful as a general contractor up until he retired in 1980. However, in those days, by 4th grade you were reading at what today is an 8th grade level, with math skills the same.
In the homeschool community a lot of people skip 7th and 8th grades and put the kid right into 9th grade work after 6th grade because there is very little in today's curriculum that is learned between 6th and 9th grades.