Comments on: Big Cities Battle Dismal Graduation Rates

Report: Less Than 50 Percent Of High School Students Graduate In 17 Of U.S.'s Largest Cities

[gangesdak]

Both parents do not have to work to make the ends meet in most cases. Parents keep working to pay for houses they cannot afford, cars that they cannot afford, vacations they cannot afford. Exceptions! Yes, there are exceptions. But leaving beyond the means is the main reason for both parents working, and kids getting into trouble.

[apprxam]

As yall can see by my spelling...I "ain''t" one of those stars.

[bobnjersey]

hey, everything is good ... as long as these children are not left behind!

[apprxam]

RKennedy...you''re absolutely correct. What should be done; seperation of students. Detroit for instance, nothings precludeds the schools from putting their best students in their own building or campus which would foster the environment of learning. Culture, racial traits or heredity, neither of which can be tested on the mass scale needed until conditions are set up to measure which ever may be the cause.

Every ethnic group entering this country has gone through those periods of poor performance in school and Afro-Americans must begin the process of laying claim to proper education. We, blacks, must begin by saving those that can be saved and work our way down. This isn''t the "Talented Tenth" principle, but one that says you don''t know what you ahve until you look for it, and it is that search that has been missing. Marva Collins has shown the black children can perform at higher levels. It requires dedicated space and less democracy. The cream that rises should be treated as such. McDonalds , Nike and coaches, black & white, can find dibblers and tacklers at the age of 8. It''s time to direct that same energy for english and math stars, which are planty and mold them with just as mush vigor.

This isn''t that difficult a solution. It''s what has been done by the aforementioned ethnic groups. The process has to be compartmentalized and pointed, plain and simple.

[bogusbones]

education is our nation''s most important treasure and has been a cornerstone for our progress since the inception of our country. why we spend so much on our military fiascos and ignore a basic constitutional right to all americans i will never understand. if we continue to allow the degradation of our secondary school system and price college beyond the means of most americans, the u.s. is on a greased slope to become a second rate power.

[antoniof123]

The neo con way dumb down America.

[cgeller100]

Learning to THINK is NOT a luxury that only comes after "basic skills" for a job - and we must rid ourselves of this mentality - learning to THINK is the cornerstone and FOUNDATION of all other educational activities, including even simple multiplication tables. We must move from rote memorization to THINKING. Kids wlll be more motivated and do better at every academic subject

[cgeller100]

Here is another prohlem with our education system; training students to ''get a good'' job is NOT the only prupose of education; it''s to teach students to THINK- to THIMK for themselves, to THINK clearly, fully, analytically, and logically, and to making thinking a lifelong habit. Unfortunately, most Americans do not think - they let others do their thinking for them - which is in great part why we have this mess in our country

[edward1975-2009]

With both parents having to work to make ends meet. Kids now have no one at home to assure they attend or keep up with school responsibilities. So we are now enabling a generation of non-achievers.

[missingamerica]

Bad graduation rates in the big cities...well, duh.

You''ve shipped so many jobs offshore that even what we have that passes for a President runs around telling the entire nation that they must have some college to get a job and survive - although he, of course, sprinkles in a little class snobbishness by saying "commnunity college".

So now you have all of these kids in high school who have been told over and over again they need college to get a job - and they know *** good and well there is nothing out there to help them get into and through college of any kind.

So what the hell is the point of caring about high school?

lollll...would you care about doing a good job at ANYTHING if YOU knew YOU were locked in at what you are now forever and ever and ever, amen - while more advantaged people zoomed on by in our ever more unequal, unfair, and unbalanced society?

[runningralph]

If the kids in these cities want to finish high school no one is stopping them. They just don''t see why they need a diploma to commit crimes and get on welfare. Where I live we have had to bring in thousands of illegal immigrants because qualified workers weren''t available. Anyway I''m an optimist, I see half of the kids graduating, not half dropping out. Life is a culling process. School is a culling process. In some places culls can be used but rarely can they be top drawer.

[ianlou]

Without a high school diploma you can''t get a good job.
With a high school diploma you can''t get a good job.
Many with a college diploma are looking for a good job.

Crime isn''t the only thing that doesn''t pay.

[rkennedy4803]

Most of the big cities have black majority populations run by black mayors and school districts run by black majority school boards with black superintendants. If this was to happen in a white school district, heads would roll. Maybe the affected school districts should allow white superintendants and white school boards try their hands at educating these poor performing schools. Perhaps this will make a difference.

[vancouverboo]

Education is not for everyone. We''re not all molded the same way. Too bad there are no more automobile assmbly lines for the dropouts. That''s progress. $59 a month for Nike workers in VietNam. It was in the news today. That''s what they earn. As a result we have unemployed dropouts and Nike''s owner is a multi-billionaire. Multiply that by a thousand and you have America''s story.