A high school diploma is almost worthless. "No Child Left Behind" has put high school principals in a near impossible situation. Graduation Rate is the single most important metric they watch and adhere to. Everything else is completely secondary to that.
Nearly every spare minute and dollar is put into the most low-performing students in an attempt to provide tutoring, motivation, special programs... in an effort to secure passing grades. If that doesn't work, teachers are... pressured isn't the right word... but you better be able to offer some sort of last minute, do or die, special project or something that will be just enough to get the student across the "pass line."
Learning is not the top priority; awarding a credit is. At the end of the day, if a student has a pulse, they're getting a diploma. For the most part any way. There are always a few die-hards who will resist any attempt to help them out.
The other thing that is needed in high school is proper counseling. While I understand that indifferent students can blossom in college, they need some steering into a proper career path. "I want to be an engineer, because I googled and they make a lot of money" is unrealistic if a student has an ACT score of 15 in math.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with steering students into trade/vocational schools if that's where their talents and interests lie. But too often, I see the push for junior college or a four year school where the students will have little chance of success.
There’s also a push in community college to get students through. All kinds of tutoring, counseling, “early intervention”, etc. But if the kid can’t read, what good will the degree do.
I’ve had kids who showed up to every class, but did not participate. Did absolutely no homework. Either skipped exams or failed them miserably, who are shocked when I failed them because just showing up and doing nothing else got them through high school.
I guess my personal frustration is that none of this is doing any good to actually prepare the kid for life after school and tax payers’ money is being pissed away in the processes.