Kids Are Less Likely to Graduate Than Parents

Graduating is one of the most honorable feelings as a young adult. It is a sense of freedom and accomplishment. Yet nowadays, many students are not feeling this way, and many are starting to simply give up. While many are moving on to college and pursuing careers that will take them farther, a good 25% of teens are dropping out of high school, and the schools are not taking much action to prevent this.


"The U.S. is stagnating while other industrialized countries are surpassing us," exclaims Anna Habash, author of The Education Trust. The United States is becoming the only industrialized country where the younger generation is less likely to earn a diploma than their parents were. In order to graduate, high schoolers are required to meet graduation targets each year as part of the "No Child Left Behind Law." Yet this law is set by states, not federal law. Many states allow schools to graduate saying that any progress is acceptable to get by. People are asking why schools are setting the standards so low for graduation requirements and researches are saying that it is simply because they can. State and school officials are under pressure to improve test scores under the No Child Left Behind education law or else face penalties. But they got a break on graduation rates: Schools have to meet annual goals, but the government lets each state set its own goal. There has been an increase in dropouts and the crisis is on the rise.



People are worried that teenagers will continue to drop out if the educational system is not improved. They believe that students should focus and study more for tests and if the dropout rate continues to increase, then the future of America could find itself in not only an economic crisis, but an educational one as well.



source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27336656/