Dropout

[FOTD]

Our country is naive and doomed. 7,000 dropouts a day. Wow. No outrage. Thank you dual income parenting.

"Social welfare programs may be a matter of ethics and generosity, but education and training are not. I am willing, indeed insist upon, the education of my neighbors' childresn, not because I am generous but because I cannot afford to live with them uneducated.

Lester C. Thurow

[TheArtist]

I bet there are probably more kids percentage wise who drop out who have one or more parents that don't work than whose parents both work.

My parents both worked, they made danged sure we did well in school.  All my sisters and their husbands both work and their kids do very well in school. What good would it do for someones parents to be at home while the kid was at school anyway? The parent could have no more or less interaction with the kid in either case except for the couple hours between when the kid was not at school and the parent wasn't yet home.

[FOTD]

quote:Originally posted by TheArtist

I bet there are probably more kids percentage wise who drop out who have one or more parents that don't work than whose parents both work.

My parents both worked, they made danged sure we did well in school.  All my sisters and their husbands both work and their kids do very well in school. What good would it do for someones parents to be at home while the kid was at school anyway? The parent could have no more or less interaction with the kid in either case except for the couple hours between when the kid was not at school and the parent wasn't yet home.

What curbs this dropout escalation?

[custosnox]

To automatically assign an increase in dropout rate to both parents working is akin to assigning it to the increase of radio waves in the air.  The simple fact that both have increased does not make it a forgone conclusion that they are connected.  In addition to that, you say 7,000 dropouts a day.  This is opposed to how many students overall?  To even say that there is an actual increase in dropouts (even though you didn't actually say that, but you associated it with dual income parenting that is on an increase, so you implied it), you would need to compare percentage rates over a period of time.

[FOTD]

Inside the High School Makes Teachers Become Family
School Found Success by Turning Teachers Into Surrogate Family Members

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/story?id=4569251&page=1

%50 of students graduate in Tulsa. http://www.americaspromise.org/uploadedFiles/AmericasPromiseAlliance/Dropout_Crisis/SWANSONCitiesInCrisis040108.pdf

Is dropout the counter measure to graduation rate?

[TheArtist]

quote:Originally posted by FOTD

quote:Originally posted by TheArtist

I bet there are probably more kids percentage wise who drop out who have one or more parents that don't work than whose parents both work.

My parents both worked, they made danged sure we did well in school.  All my sisters and their husbands both work and their kids do very well in school. What good would it do for someones parents to be at home while the kid was at school anyway? The parent could have no more or less interaction with the kid in either case except for the couple hours between when the kid was not at school and the parent wasn't yet home.

What curbs this dropout escalation?

Not sure specifically what you are asking. But in general,,,, responsible parenting.  Whether a single parent, 2 parents, one working, both working.

Whats interesting to note as well is the urban-suburban gap.  Tulsa urban graduates 50.6%.... Tulsa suburban graduates 76%... a 25.4% gap.  If poor, minorities and other "disadvantaged" groups traditionally have done worse graduating. One can assume that much of the 25% lies there and with the corollary that there are more people, percentage wise, of better means in the suburbs owning those new homes.

I wish I remembered the website that listed all the local schools and their average performance or test scores. But I had found that Glenpool for instance did worse than the average Tulsa school. But I am willing to bet in a couple of years, if not already, because of the influx of families buying new homes (these people likely have decent jobs, good work ethics, responsible, good life skills and abilities, etc.) Glenpools scores will skyrocket (just as their tax collections will as well lol).

We always get back to the same thing in these conversations. How do we get those with poor life skills, bad parenting skills, or their kids to do better and change? To break the cycle? (we can't force adults to change, but the kids are for a while, a "captive audience")

It costs more to do that extra, but those are the students who often get less.

So how do you change that?

[FOTD]

Not a lot of that responsible parenting going on across our nation.

[FOTD]

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20080402_1_A11_hAstu71037

Tulsa has been ranked the 12th-worst among the country's 50 largest cities in the disparity of graduation rates between its inner-city school district and suburban counterparts.

[cannon_fodder]

quote:Originally posted by FOTD

Thank you dual income parenting.

Are you suggesting there are less dual income families in the suburbs?  I came from a dual income family and graduated, my son is in a dual income family and will graduate.  In fact:

quote:In 2002, only 7 percent of all U.S. households consisted of married couples with children in which only the husband worked.

http://www.prb.org/Articles/2003/TraditionalFamiliesAccountforOnly7PercentofUSHouseholds.aspx

Only 7% of families meet the paradigm you and Doctor Lora subscribe for us.  Not everyone has the luxury of great wealth and in fact most of us have to work to provide for our family and the future.  Not too mention we would be short about 40,000,000 workers if we tried to go to a mostly 1 worker model again - it hasn't been feasible for a long, long time.

For my part, I am concentrating on raising a child who will positively influence the graduation rate.  By your many posts I assume you are neither married nor raising a child and I get the impression that you aren't working.  So being about as far removed from this topic as possible, what are you going to help ensure that you won't live with your neighbors uneducated children?  

- Both parents shouldn't work
- People should support education more
- Parents should be responsible

But what are YOU doing?

I agree that this problem is abysmal.  I agree that without at least a high school education the odds of a person being successful today are drastically reduced.  And I agree that this is an escalating problem.   We have tried throwing more money at the problem (funding has doubled since the 1970s per pupil in a adjusted dollar basis) to no avail.

So what do WE do?

You posted that things suck and it is every one else's fault.  But you are doing nothing and your suggestion of about 30% of the country quitting their jobs is not feasible.  So tell us how to fix this problem please.

[NellieBly]

Oklahoma ranks 47th in spending per pupil. We are hardly throwing money at the system. The system is broke due to a lot of issues which include overcrowding, lack of parental involvement, and lack of funding. We have good schools and bad schools in Tulsa. If you look at the good schools like Lee, Washington, Elliot, Zarrow, etc., they have a high level of parental involvement. Ask any school teacher, especially those at low performing schools. They have very little interaction with students' parents.

[Conan71]

quote:Originally posted by FOTD

Not a lot of that responsible parenting going on across our nation.

Unless I've missed something in your posts the last two years:  

You seem to think it's a great idea to tax the **** out of the masses to ease society's ills and that government can offer a solution to every problem.  High taxation makes it more necessary for families to rely on two incomes instead of one, then you point to two income families being a reason for the drop-out rate.

The drop-out rate does not have a government solution unless it's locking down your kids for 12 years like a prison.  Increasing spending on government-provided education just for the sake of spending it is simply throwing more good money in after bad.  Every politician runs on a platform of more money for schools.  Name a politician above city council level who hasn't mentioned more money for schools.  I bet you can't.  What has more spending on education gained so far?  7,000 drop outs per day?  

Negative issues like drop-out rates, teen pregnancy, teens getting involved in gangs, teen drug and alcohol use, etc. have far more to do with a decay in the percieved personal responsibility parents have in raising their kids.  Somehow, the masses have been given the belief that schools and government programs will help raise their kids.

One of my children will graduate from high school in less than two months and has been taking concurrent college classes, the other will graduate in three years.  Both get excellent grades.  Both have plans for college.  They stay out of trouble, don't smoke, drink, or use drugs and they don't associate with kids who do.  It's not so much that they are prudish- it's that they are driven and know what they want out of life.

Pretty amazing considering, by societal stereotypes, they come from a "broken home".  Their mother and I both worked full-time when we were married (gasp! the dreaded dual-income home).  Wow, amazing and shocking neither has dropped out and gotten into prostitution.  [)]

Are my kids prospering because of government spending on schools?  No.  Has that kept them in school?  No.  Are my kids prospering because their parents made a good income?  No.  Taking a personal interest in the well-being of our children and not counting on someone else to raise them has.  

Taking parental committment seriously will do far more than the government can ever do to impact the drop-out rate.  It can be done, even in a dual-income home.

[cannon_fodder]

I read the article, I realize we are spending less than the rest of the nation.  But as a whole, the nation (including Oklahoma) is spending about twice per kid what we once did (adjusted money) and receiving less.  More money may be needed (I am not an expert), but clearly it is not THE solution.

[FOTD]

Arguing with me is like arguing with Dick Cheney....nothing comes of it.

[Conan71]

quote:Originally posted by FOTD

Arguing with me is like arguing with Dick Cheney....nothing comes of it.

What a sad problem-oriented bubble you live in.

[inteller]

I have a solution for the dropouts.  Instant military draft and shipment to Afghanistan.

Why aren't we finding these dropouts?  Does the popo not come to the house and cart you to school anymore?  They did to kids back when I was in school.