Report: Kids less likely to graduate than parents

Wasn't the younger generation the ones who probably weren't the first in their families to go to college? Then why is it that things seem to be going backwards? Defender:

Your child is less likely to graduate from high school than you were, and most states are doing little to hold schools accountable, according to a study by a children's advocacy group.

More than half the states have graduation targets that don't make schools get better, the Education Trust says in a report released Thursday.

And dropout rates haven't budged: One in four kids is still dropping out of high school.

"The U.S. is stagnating while other industrialized countries are surpassing us," said Anna Habash, author of the report by Education Trust, which advocates on behalf of minority and poor children. "And that is going to have a dramatic impact on our ability to compete," she said.

In fact, the United States is now the only industrialized country where young people are less likely than their parents to earn a diploma, the report said.

High schools are required to meet graduation targets every year as part of the 2002 federal No Child Left Behind law.

But those targets are set by states, not by the federal government. And most states allow schools to graduate low percentages of students by saying that any progress, or even the status quo in some cases, is acceptable.

Yeah, sounds like the states are settling. Very low standards for progress.

At times I can be down on the public schools, but for those who want to see changes the unaccountable aspects of our schools are a drag on progress. Should we expect more from our schools?

If that's the case then simply throwing money on the problem can't be an answer anymore. Perhaps the schools have to fight for their money or their funding and prove to the people or to government that they deserve better funding.

It should be agreed then that whether your school is in a poor rural county, a ghetto neighborhood, or the ritziest of areas that they should have to prove their worth. They should be like any business, that is they have to put out a product or service that people will want to use. Although at the same time they shouldn't take that service for granted especially if they're not performing to expectations whatever those are.

Let's also say that if our kids aren't likely to get a diploma there's something more going on beyond lack of funding or even lack of accountability. Especially import if parents should take a special interest in their kids education. Unfortunately there are those parents who don't hold that interest.

What should be done about this issue?