The Education Catastrophe

America’s dropout Rate is an epidemic. The overall graduation rate in the United States is less than 70%. For Latino and Black students it is even worse, 50%. America’s Promise Alliance released a report last week which revealed chilling statistics on dropout rates in America’s top 50 largest cities. At the bottom of the list are districts like Detroit where the graduation rate is 24.9%, Indianapolis, Cleveland and Baltimore follow closely behind. Along with the report, America’s Promise Alliance also issued a 10-Point Plan for reducing Dropout Rate. At the top of the list is an inaccurate graduation and dropout statistics. These statistics have been difficult to calculate based on tracking the number of students who transfer to another district, as well as, inflated statistics by school districts, which are desperate to meet the guidelines set by one of the many requirements set forth by the 2002 No Child Left behind Act. As a result, the Bush Administration and secretary Margret Spellings announced that they will require all states to use one federal formula.

This is only the first of many steps that the government is and should be taking to address this issue. Getting the data is not even half of the battle. The dropout rate is a symptom of the cancer growing in the educational system, and everyone shares part of the blame. By allowing teachers who do not perform well, and  lost all concern and vitality to teach our children is a lightening bolt of a message to our students that we just do not care.

 Accountability, who is accountable to our children the future of our country? I believe that we all share in the failures of our schools, from the government to our school’s administration, to the voters and especially the parents.   Our schools are not the only problem but the government needs to hold parents responsible as well. Sanctions should be placed on parents Why not fine them or sentence them to community service when they do not ensure their child is in school? Barrack Obama has discussed the importance of parenting in a couple of his speeches at high schools across the country.  He seems to understand that this is not strictly a problem with the schools.  We need to be as serious about education and holding people accountable as the IRS is about collecting taxes or as serious as we are about homeland security. The future of this country lies in the hands of the youth and the youth are not being educated.  We are under attack by our failed schools, government and community.  We must protect ourselves and actively find a cure for the “CANCER” that lies within our current system.