Only 1 of 2 students graduate high school

Cyclone42 · 04-02-2008, 10:27 PM

Only 1 of 2 students graduate high school in US cities: study

The really sad part is, our schools are really bad. Wen I was in HS, I had a really good friend who was the son of a missionary to Honduras. He had been going to school there for about 7 years, when his dad decided to move back to the states for a while. He was used to getting B's and C's (mostly the latter) back there, then gets nothing but A's here. He said every class here was pathetically easy. If you can't graduate from a HS in the U.S., you must be a really dumb ****.

My wife's cousin has two kids, one already dropped out of school, the other hasn't yet but probably will. The older one (who already did) thinks he's the hottest thing on the planet because he was able to get his girlfriend pregnant. He is really in dire need of a complete reality check. But when he finally realizes that he has no skills to offer anyone anywhere, and absolutely no ability to do anything but flip burgers, it'll be way to late.
The scary part is, he is probably the norm rather than the exception.

No wonder corporations are outsourcing jobs overseas. If you were a CEO, knowing all this, wouldn't you?

We are doomed.

**jdoggivjc** · 04-03-2008, 09:34 AM

Originally Posted by Cyclone42

Only 1 of 2 students graduate high school in US cities: study

The really sad part is, our schools are really bad. Wen I was in HS, I had a really good friend who was the son of a missionary to Honduras. He had been going to school there for about 7 years, when his dad decided to move back to the states for a while. He was used to getting B's and C's (mostly the latter) back there, then gets nothing but A's here. He said every class here was pathetically easy. If you can't graduate from a HS in the U.S., you must be a really dumb ****.

My wife's cousin has two kids, one already dropped out of school, the other hasn't yet but probably will. The older one (who already did) thinks he's the hottest thing on the planet because he was able to get his girlfriend pregnant. He is really in dire need of a complete reality check. But when he finally realizes that he has no skills to offer anyone anywhere, and absolutely no ability to do anything but flip burgers, it'll be way to late.
The scary part is, he is probably the norm rather than the exception.

No wonder corporations are outsourcing jobs overseas. If you were a CEO, knowing all this, wouldn't you?

We are doomed.

Which is why my wife and I will be on our kids from the beginning when it comes to their education. It won't take much for them to rule this country (of course, their tax rate to support 200 million slackers will probably be incredible, but if they are in charge hopefully they can change the rules).

**BryceC** · 04-03-2008, 09:36 AM

High school has been easy for a long time. My mom and dad said high school was so easy to graduate high school when they were kids it was unreal. My dad didn't take more than 4 classes a semester when he was a senior and most of them were shop classes.

**Skyh13** · 04-03-2008, 09:38 AM

You know, I saw a car that had one of those "I'm proud of my _________ Honor Student", and at first I just thought to myself... man, too bad that doesn't really mean anything in the U.S.

**cloneu** · 04-03-2008, 09:39 AM

I don't see how HS graduation rates can't be like 90% for how easy it is. When I was a junior a kid I had a class with (a senior) dropped out of school in March. Two more months he would have had a diploma, but I guess that was too much for him.

**HILLCYD** · 04-03-2008, 09:40 AM

http://www.cyclonefanatic.com/forum/...d-country.html (Why we are doomed as a country.)

**4429 mcc** · 04-03-2008, 09:41 AM

Unfortunatley I have a nephew who is also lost in public schools. Smart kid doesnt want to even try rather hang out and be cool. But thinks he'll play in the NBA some day. He couldnt play the past season b/c his grades were too bad, like I said he's lost.

**isucyfan** · 04-03-2008, 09:41 AM

My advice for parents and parents to be is this: When your kids start school, don't relinquish them completely to the teacher and the education system, no matter how good they are. Keep in mind that YOU are their primary educator, and enrich and enhance what they are doing in school.

Related note: My 6 year old just got an awesome microscope, and we have been having so much fun finding cool stuff to magnify.

**isucyfan** · 04-03-2008, 09:45 AM

Originally Posted by 4429 mcc

Unfortunatley I have a nephew who is also lost in public schools. Smart kid doesnt want to even try rather hang out and be cool. But thinks he'll play in the NBA some day. He couldnt play the past season b/c his grades were too bad, like I said he's lost.

I worked in an inner city elementary school in Peoria, Ill., and almost every boy that could dribble planned on playing in the NBA. You tell them the odds of that, and they just think you're telling them it's possible. The success of Sean Livingston and others there has probably hurt the city in a weird way.

**Aldude505** · 04-03-2008, 11:08 AM

Going to ISU right now I look back at high school and wish that I could go back to when classes where that easy... I graduated from a smaller town in central Iowa with something like a 3.7 GPA. During high school I don't think I ever opened a book other than to do homework problems, never read anything or did extra problems. Found out that at ISU the classes weren't that easy, it was a huge reality check that I actually have to study here to get the grades. The high school public school system is pretty bad and I can honestly say they did not get me ready for college as well as they should have, which is sad.

**ISUonthemove** · 04-03-2008, 11:15 AM

A 3.4 gpa is nothing to be amazed at in high school but it's not bad. I did that bringing home my books and studying ONE TIME my entire high school career, for my physiology class. And I'm really not that smart of a guy. I got a 21 on my ACT's. Granted, I had a hangover...but probably wouldn't have done much better sober.

I just say this because school is RIDICULOUSLY easy nowadays. I took a test online from like the 1920's, to see if I could pass my grandparent's tests in high school. I failed miserably.

**Clones85'** · 04-03-2008, 11:24 AM

I don't believe that for a second. 1 out of 2? What do you think the percentage in Iowa is? The midwest? Those numbers seem really really sad

**Cyclone711** · 04-03-2008, 11:31 AM

I highly don't believe those numbers because of the fact that I'm graduating this year and my class won't be anywhere near that. The fact remains thought that far too many are not graduating high school, which I believe is totally unacceptable for the mere fact that HS is quite possibly the easiest thing ever. Compared to many other countries are HS's are lackluster at best. We REALLY need to improve our education system tbh but I don't see that happening in the near future with so many dropping out as it is.

**TykeClone** · 04-03-2008, 11:43 AM

Originally Posted by ISUonthemove

I just say this because school is RIDICULOUSLY easy nowadays. I took a test online from like the 1920's, to see if I could pass my grandparent's tests in high school. I failed miserably.

Some of that might have been contextual - their current events might not even tip the scales in many history classes. And the expectations out of high school were different at the time.

I also know that in talking to my dad they started ChemE students with trigonometry when he went through instead of calculus like they do now.

**NIowaClone** · 04-03-2008, 11:46 AM

Looking back now, I would agree high school was easy. That is partly due to gaining a college education. Yet, in my senior year of high schoo, I was taking Calculus I and Calculus II, along with Physics, advanced chemistry, and Spanish 4. Granted I had band and choir as "piece of cake" courses along the way, high school didn't seem so easy at the time. Now, I can say high school was a "giant delicious chocolate take with sprinkles." Man I miss those days.