Dropout Nation

[Bill3000]

Personally, I'd rather keep high school dropouts rotting. High school graduation should be a minimum for worth of a human being. I mean, it's high school, for the gods' sake. Don't be dumb and you have the right to live.

[MRT144]

bill3k, dont shun those that will kill you for your resources. they might just might do that. the dummies are more apt to kill you than the high minded louts like yourself.

[Az]

What's so baffling about it? In Japan, kids who aren't cut out for or interested in college prep work go to industrial, agricultural or other technical schools. I think it's a good idea and probably helps to lower the drop-out rate in the standard high schools. Technical schools...

How does going to a technical school stop them from going to college? Here, I did just that....

[KrazyHorse]

Technical in this instance means vocational. Instead of learning calculus and physics the kids learn to be electricians or plumbers. Since they don't get many of the prerequisite courses universities require, they are disadvantaged when it comes to applying to university.

For this reason, "technical" school has negative connotations to many Americans (and Canadians). Since it's assumed that any student should be able to make it in whatever field they decide on (obviously a blatant misconception, or possibly a deliberate convenient fallacy), any attempt to stream lower-end students into a technical school and away from completion of a "normal" university-preparatory course of study is violently opposed.

[Az]

Oh, they don't learn anything else... hmmm. I think it's possible to have both - we had only small amounts of literature, history and civics, but lots of math, english, physics, and of course the computer classes.

We had professional training ( we had it in computers, pfft - I already knew how to use excel and access. I'd much rather know how to be an electrician - there was a parallel class for that )

But what I would rather have is training as a car mechanic...

This is the sort of things I think everyone should know.... would costs lots of jobs, though....

[KrazyHorse]

See, I don't know what their exact curriculum would be. I do know that it's not intended for those who wish to attend university.

Your school sounds more like what we'd call a "polytechnic" high school than a "technical" school.

[Az]

I just wanted to point out that this is the best highschool model, IMHO - although I would prefer more literature and civics classes, slightly less computer classes, and shift the focus from computers, and electronics to stuff like car mechanics, masonry, etc.

[General Ludd]

Originally posted by MRT144
high school dropouts can still go to college. but I think most people give up on that dream after dropping out.

This is partly because so many people put so much emphasis on a high-school diploma when really it stands for squat. Dropouts get unfairly judged and rarely recieve any encouragement, even though there is just as much human scum and morons graduating from highschool as there is droping out of it.

However, a motivated drop-out can stand out better than the average peon who's gone through high-school. Volounteer, take part time courses in subjects that interest you, occupy yourself with projects of your own, and so on, and you'll leave a much better impression on people then you would if you simply jumped through hoops like everyone else.

[Az]

even though there is just as much human scum and morons graduating from highschool as there is droping out of it.

not so, percentagewise.

[Dinner]

True.

[General Ludd]

What's the percentage then?

[Az]

wait you want statistics to back my words up? first, bring some of those yourself.

[Dr Strangelove]

Originally posted by Oerdin


True, but the likelihood of a dropout finding a $60k per year job at an automobile plant just isn't that good these days. The likelihood of a college graduate finding a $60k per year job is actually expected in most technical fields (science & engineering) and not all that uncommon even for people with nontechnical degrees.

I have a nephew who quit high school a few years ago to take a $60K job at a computer firm. He recently moved to California where he makes much more. It obviously doesn't hurt to be talented.

Remember that some of the portion of people not finishing high school are mentally or physically disabled. I believe that accounts for about 2% of the total population or about 10% of the so called drop outs. Another portion are spending a little time at the courtesy of the state or local government reconsidering the error of their ways.