Preventing high school drop outs

What if they would tie a drivers license along with a HS diploma? That way you wouldn't be able to drive unless you had a diploma which would make the drop out rates plummet I would think. You still could get a leaner's permit but it would be revoked when you turned 18 unless you got a regular drivers license after you completed your HS education and graduated. Just a thought, what do you think? Of course they won't get a drivers license if they commit a criminal offense which prevents then from driving any way.

 

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Why would you want to stop high school dropouts. It's the dropouts leaving at 16 that makes the classes from 16-18 teachable. If they didn't drop out, 16-18 education would be just as pointless as pre-16 education.

 

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I'm sorry that you see it that way. I think that as many students as can should receive a HS diploma as can and graduate, not fewer. By at least having a HS education people have a better chance in life to be successful and earn more money for themselves. Those that quit usually end up in nowhere jobs, less income and even find their way into the penal system as well. To me it just makes more sense to educate as many people as possible and this will make society a better place as well as a better place to live.

 

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While I'm not sure it would work, Cosmic, it certainly is an interesting idea and I'd really like to see it tried somewhere. It would be good if even just one state tried it for 5 or 6 years to see what the results would be.

 

This is up to the parents.

 

I don't think it should be done. While dropping out of high school is stupid, it's not some crime that should be punished.

 

Usually but not always. You don't seem to be considering the negative impact it might have on these people to get jobs if they cannot drive. Or also the fact that many people who do graduate still end up in those low paid jobs/jobs they won't want to do for a career, such as delivery driving.

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It should be about what you know and what you're good at, some people who don't finish HS are far better at a lot of things than those who finished.

 

That is true. In some, albeit rare, circumstances a person is not "adjusted" for formal settings then comes the appearance of forcing someone to go to school for 12 years. Not to mention that you are penalizing them twice and severely disadvantaging them with not being able to drive. Some people prefer home schooling too.

 

Maybe all schooling should just turn vocational?

 

It would be nice in an ideal world. But as I said in my previous post in reality all keeping these people as school will do is disrupt the classes and mean the people who want to stay on will fail their diplomas too, now being in unteachably disrupted classes.

 

The issue has been brought up several times in different places, but parents of teen-ageers are almost uniformly against it. They want their kid to have his license. Then they can stop driving him around and send him on errands.

 

That's just not true anymore. Lots of good paying jobs in trades, not requiring even a HS diploma. Because for decades parents only wanted their kids to go to college. While that is good for income generally, you can easily make similar money in trades, not counting graduate degrees or the pyramid scheme the MBA has become.

 

actually school systems are inefficient. it's basically a place to put children for many hours of the day for years. for many, just a solid grade school education of basic reading, writing and arithmetic would be good enough.

many subjects and classes are just fluff, can be learned by yourself because it's just knowlege based and higher math or science is only used and remembered by the most studious and advanced of students in high school.

i bet you can teach more in four hours of school if it was done efficiently and without a bunch of quizes or tests. also, school systems treat most subjects like a game of win or lose which is ridiculous and the antithesis to learning. when you go for job training, does your employer play cat and mouse games with info to test how innately clever you are? testing has it's place but it's overused to weed out those who are not the most clever and favor those who don't even need the teacher so it's wasteful and the 'teaching' aspect is what is missing most.

 

i would agree with the vocational aspect of it..give them a taste of what they are good at,and what they would like..i hated high school..its been awhile but i don't think high school taught me much that helps me in the real world..

overpopulation is also a big factor in drop outs..less attention for each student.
plus in school they are not taught how to fail..IE the emphasis is on perfection,to get good grades..not to learn..not how to handle failure,and how to overcome it..

 

Driving capability has little or nothing to do with a high school education. This business of tying irrelevant credentials to various jobs or privileges is a bane on modern life. Having them imposed by the government is even worse.

 

Thank you all for your comments. I just thought that something like I propose would be of some help rather than what is being done now in the school systems. Having nearly half of the people going to HS not graduate isn't a very good sign of a advanced society and only reflects what is going to happen to society in the future.

 

The best way to prevent high school dropouts I think, is to raise the age to 18 with only specific noted exceptions such as medical problems. 16 year olds are not known for making the best choices. I think they should be able to test out of high school, but not just leave arbitrarily. The rates dropped a bit in the area I used to live in because many businesses refused to hire anyone without a HS diploma or equivalent. Even the retail and fast food places. You might think twice about dropping out if you know you won't be able to ever find a job and the one you have part time now will fire you or at least not take you on full time.

 

how about if we made school more enjoyable and empowering for young people, instead of the glorified conformist prisons they are now?

i was a straight A student and teacher's pet, and i still hated every damn minute of it.

 

Very few people dont graduate HS but there comes a time where we cant force people to do things against their will. Next it will be college etc. From my understanding the kid needs written permission from a parent. What if the kid wants to work in the parents business and he\she can finish school later on if they wanted. Still live in a free society...remember?

 

And yes, that mean freedom to make bad choices BUT amybe in some cases it is not a bad choice.

This is not for me or you to decide. Now you want to penalize somone who may have problems further? Would you amke exceptions for a doctors note?