School-to-Career Blog 03xx06
The views expressed here are Chris' and are not necessarily the same as the Wake County Public School System.
The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives of High School Dropouts. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Article Highlights
"Each year, almost one third of all public high school students - and nearly one half of all blacks, Hispanics and Native Americans - fail to graduate from public high school with their class."
"The central message of this report is that while some students drop out because of significant academic challenges, most dropouts are students who could have, and believe they could have, succeeded in school. This survey of young people who left high school without graduating suggests that, despite career aspirations that require education beyond high school and a majority having grades of a C or better, circumstances in students' lives and an inadequate response to those circumstances from the schools led to dropping out. While reasons vary, the general categories remain the same, whether in inner city Los Angeles or suburban Nebraska."
Nearly half (47 percent) said a major reason for dropping out was that classes were not interesting."
Nearly 7 in 10 respondents (69 percent) said they were not motivated or inspired to work hard."
"What Might Help Students Stay in School - Improve teaching and curricula to make school more relevant and engaging and enhance the connection between school and work."
Chris' thoughts -
This is a great article about the state of our education system. It takes a long hard look at the students that we are not reaching, the ones that are left behind during this time of NCLB.
CTE is in a good position to reach many of these kids. Making class interesting and relevant is what typically sets CTE classes apart from the other classes. Our Career Academies also help to bring relevance to the academics. Our strong connection to the business community helps to get kids to see the value of their education.
Our "bored" kids have opportunities to take courses at Wake Tech or one of our many four-year colleges. They don't have that kind of opportunity in all areas of the country.
We just need to be sure we are reaching these "lost" kids and getting them into classes that are going to make a difference in their lives and keep them in school.
Chris writes for the following Blogs:
- Wake County School-to-Career Blog
- Association for Career and Technical Education's (ACTE) New and Related Services Division, School-to-Work/Careers Section (ACTE blog)
- Association for Career and Technical Education's (ACTE) New and Related Services Division, School-to-Work/Careers Section (ACTE blog) (alternate view)
- Wake County Public School System's Morning Announcements (WCPSS blog)
Wake County Public School System programs are staffed and offered without regard to race, gender, age, color, religion, national origin, citizenship status, political affiliation, or disability.