There is no doubt that a good education matters in life and in income. There also appears to be little question that some schools are not delivering on expectations.
But I’m not so sure we are looking in the right place to solve the problem.
For example, using the data mentioned below, it seems reasonable to ask if both the family structure or lack thereof along with the motivation, etc. of the children are not equal or perhaps primary causes of the failing students.
Are poor teachers consolidated in urban schools? What are dropout rates in those schools? Do these children come from dysfunctional families? All things being equal would an urban child from a failing school who is placed in a private school suddenly succeed? Probably not‼️
However, any motivated family and student can achieve excellent results in the right environment. But the key is the motivation and the support and discipline. Here is a good example of a private urban school that admits students whose families along with the student demonstrate a commitment to their education and to following the rules of the school. Take a look at the Link Community School
Success in education and in life is at least 50% the responsibility of the individual and their family. I’m not so sure we have a failing school problem as much as we do a failing family problem. We seem to always be on the blame somebody else kick.
It is a national tragedy that children are consigned to failing schools without the possibility of a better education. On average, 80 percent of high school students graduate in 4 years. In some urban areas, four-year high school graduation rates are only 50 percent. In contrast, the graduation rate for private schools averages between 96 percent and 98 percent, with 99 percent for Catholic schools.
Those young people who fail to graduate are falling through the cracks in society. If they cannot graduate, they likely do not have the skills for an employer to train them, much less pay them, whether it is an hourly wage of $7.25, $10.10, or $15.00.
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