Rant Part 2

I've decided I'm not done ranting about the "dropout factory" schools. I have two more beefs- for now.

I once read that there is a correlation (I know, that doesn't mean causation) between the size of a kid's vocabulary when he/she enters Kindergarten and his or her success in high school. Did you notice that I said "ENTERS" kindergarten? Who was in charge of building that vocabulary, hmm?

I'm also mad about the reporting on this study. On our local news' website the area Superintendent was given the chance to air his dissenting view. He says that the State of MI numbers show much higher rates of graduation. The story went on to focus on the fact that the state does not count students who are in jail as being dropouts because there are education programs for them while they are incarcerated. This was the only portion of the discrepancy between the State of Michigan numbers and the Johns Hopkins numbers. It made it seem as though some 75% (the percentage that Johns Hopkins has dropping out) of this area's students are in jail! That's just irresponsible reporting. What the heck high school did those reporters graduate from anyway?

I realize there's a huge danger in, on both sides of this fight, placing blame anywhere. We can get so caught up in trying to win the debate about who's fault this is that we have no energy left to do something about the problem. So, if we all acknowlege that we have some work to do an then get busy and do it, we might get somewhere.

I once heard a brillant man say that we should pick up our cross daily and follow him. The shame of kids not graduating from high school is on all of us, on all of our crosses. Are we preachin' now?