Should Texas students be kept in school?

State Sen. Rodney Ellis and Robert Sanborn claim in an article in the Austin American Statesman that Texas students should be kept from dropping out of school.

Sanborn, who is the executive director of Children at Risk, a Houston-based child advocacy group, states that only 65 % of all High School students in Texas graduate from High School, in urban areas the number of kids who complete High School is about 50 %. He argues that drop outs impose financial and economic costs on us all. The authors are not only addressing parents and students with their article, they are trying to persuade the reader that this will have an affect on all of us.

They support their claim with a recent report from the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University, which says that “even if only 20 percent of our students are dropping out of high school, the impact on our economy is staggering.” The reason for this is that dropouts are less likely to be employed and will earn less. This means they contribute less in taxes, receive more welfare and the risk for them to end up in jail is significantly higher than for the ones who complete High School.

According to Ellis and Sanborn, research shows that it is possible to identify up to half of the students who are likely to drop out of school. Texas has a student-level data reporting system, which has the potential to help teachers and counselors to identify the students who need the most support. They suggest to expand the use if this data to establish an early warning system for educators. Students who drop out from school disconnect from their schools long before and were often labeled as "troublemakers" by their teachers as the authors explain.

It makes sense to keep supporting the public school system with specific funds and programs. A major responsibility for the success of students lays within the schools, the educators and educational programs. Mentoring students, and programs like “Reach out to Dropouts”, where they knock on doors to persuade kids to come back to school seem like valuable options. One thing though the authors forgot to consider is the important role of the parents. Where does their responsibility come into play? Shouldn’t it all start at the student’s home where positive role models provide a solid basis for motivation to success?
I believe schools can only succeed if there is a close cooperation with the parents who get involved and show great interest in their children's success.

The biggest influence on a child's life and attitude comes from the parents. If there is no positive support from that end than no "reach out to dropouts" programs will help put those kids back in school. Another idea would be to show them their options they have after they graduate from High School. Maybe College isn't for everybody, and this means there has to be some other form of quality training available for young adults to contribute to the American workforce and to feel good about themselves at the same time.

Community is NOT a dirty word!

I would like to share an article I read in Newsweek recently about how "Obama recognizes the value of community colleges more than many of the schools themselves."

I think this could be of interest for all of us since we are all attending a Community College.

The article talks about a proposal he has made a couple of months ago which was to invest 12 billion dollars in Community Colleges. This proposal is now being debated in Congress.

President Obama has stressed the importance of education more than once in the past. A well founded education is especially important in a time of rising economic instability and unemployment. Well educated Americans will be able to contribute to the American workforce much better.

Although Community Colleges are often looked down on as “Communities as last resorts” they can give a good head start in times where paying high tuition for colleges becomes increasingly difficult. It makes good sense to keep supporting these low-cost institutions through special funds.

Where I am from it is possible to get trained at a vocational school and still be able to get a decent job, it is not necessary to have a College degree. The USA does not have a comparable system of education though, so it is essential for most people to go down this path.

Obama knows that the easiest and fastest way to increase the number of people with a college degree and eventually place them in well-paying jobs, is to get them started at community colleges which provide much more flexibility besides its low tuition.

Community is NOT a dirty word. It defines “a group of individuals with a common interest.” And our common interest is to get qualified education at an affordable price. What’s wrong with that?