What is the Primary Impediment for Kids Not Graduating from High School in New York State?
What is the primary impediment for kids not graduating from high school?
If I conducted a poll the answer would probably be failing to pass Regents Examinations, and, you’d be incorrect.
The primary reason is chronic absenteeism.
Blaming the Regents Examinations is akin to arguing over the brand of band-aid chosen to cover a wound, not the source of the wound.
What is so frustrating is that this is not a secret. The data is clear: we can identify dropouts and failures to graduate by attendance in elementary school grades.
Absenteeism, poverty, low achievement and failure to graduate are chillingly congruent.
Way back in 2002 No Child Left Behind, required testing in grades 3-8 in English and Math and requiring a 95% school participation rate among all students and sub-groups, NCLB failed miserably. Race to the Top offered hundreds of millions of dollars to lure states to adopt the Common Core State Standards and tie teacher evaluation to test scores, once again, a miserable failure.
Prestidigitation is not a required teaching skill; school leaders and teachers are CONTINUE READING: What is the Primary Impediment for Kids Not Graduating from High School in New York State? | Ed In The Apple
