7:00 PM: Due to the attention this post is receiving, this entry has been bumped to the top.

Did Danbury High School Principal Karen Rezendes just say this about State Rep. Jason Bartlett's proposal to require teens to stay in high school until they are 18 (now, they can leave at 16 w/ a parent's consent).

"I understand his good intentions, but I don't think it does the learning community any good, and when students turn off I think they will be non-attendees,'' Rezendes said. "The law is not going to change a student's mind on their performance."

Rezendes said she's had some excellent students who left school, got a job and returned to graduate. "They were some of the best graduating seniors,'' because they saw the value of getting their diploma.

Although, when it comes to people to return for their GED's the principal has a somewhat valid point, the rationale that a person who drops out of school and comes back to get their GED a good thing because they good students as opposed to let's say the school system addressing why kids are dropping out of school in the first place, is borderline absurd.

Lets get something straight. I grew up in the North-end section area of Hartford during the early 80s and were friends with people who attended Hartford Public High, Bloomfield High, and Weaver High so lets just say that I know a thing or two about BAD school and drop-outs. Based totally on my REAL-LIFE experience, if you drop out of school, YOU'RE SCREWED...period.

It doesn't matter how good of a student you are once you decide to come back for your GED, the fact that you dropped out of school means that the odds are stacked against you...and I mean REALLY stacked against you. Furthermore, every person who drops out will eventually put further strain on city resources as opposed to a child staying in school (or transferring a troubled student to the Alternative school).

Kids who drop out of school will probably face such social hardships as drugs (using or selling), unemployment (no education means no job), crime (no job means robbing and stealing folks), young pregnancies, and so on and so on. These problems will result in municipalities shelling out MUCH MORE money in the form of city services (police, W.I.C., welfare, public housing, drug treatment, work placement, etc) as opposed to the amount of money it takes to keep a person in school and address the problem(s) the student is dealing with.

Now, don't get me wrong, I understand the difficulties teachers face in the classroom but for the life of me, I can't see how dropping out of school and taking the chance that the person will eventually come back to earn his GED is worth the risk...especially, in this current economic climate. For every person who comes back for their GED, I'm certain there are ten kids who find up living on the streets, committing crimes, in jail, or even worse...dead.

I found this study on student drop-outs from the Childs Trend Databank that echoes my points:

Young people who drop out of high school are unlikely to have the minimum skills and credentials necessary to function in today's increasingly complex society and technological workplace. The completion of high school is required for accessing post-secondary education and is a minimum requirement for most jobs.1 High school dropouts are more likely than high school completers to be unemployed.2 Additionally, a high school diploma leads to higher income and occupational status.3 Interestingly, however, many youth who drop out of high school eventually earn a diploma or a GED. 4 One study found that 63 percent of students who dropped out had earned a diploma or GED within eight years of the year they should have originally graduated.5

Studies have found that young adults with low education and skill levels are more likely to live in poverty and to receive government assistance.6 High school dropouts are likely to stay on public assistance longer than those with at least a high school degree. Further, high school dropouts are more likely to become involved in crime.7

As I stated, living in the North-end area of Hartford was no joke. Cities such as Hartford were hit hard by the wave of massive layoffs during economic recession in the late 70s-early 80s...and the introduction of drugs such as crack in the African-American community didn't help things. To this day, there are still several friends still living on the streets and/or addicted to drugs due in part because they dropped out of school and were forced to deal, at a young age and with limited skills, the everyday struggles of life out on the streets.

Now I'm not saying that there weren't other factors that led to friends to be where they are today but, when it comes to education, I would think for a principal (or any teacher), it's more important to address why a student wants to drop out of school and do all you can to make sure do stop it.

Most cities don't have the luxury of an alternative school like the one in Danbury which makes the DHS principal's comment and resistance to State Rep. Bartlett's proposal all the more puzzling. In short, dropping out of school is a one way ticket to hardship and getting a GED eight years after your the age of 18 only means eight years of hardship, struggling, and being in a situation that can lead to disastrous results. Is that want anyone want for kids.

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Research References from the Childs Trend Databank link

¹ Laird, L., Lew, S., Debell, M., and Chapman, C.D. (2001). Dropout Rates in the United States: 2002,2003. NCES 2006-062. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2006/2006062.pdf

² Goldschmidt, P., and Wang, J. (1999) "When Can Schools Affect Dropout Behavior? A Longitudinal Multilevel Analysis." American Research Journal, 36 (4), 715-738. Caspi, A., Wright, B.E., Moffit, T.E., & Silva, P.A., 1998. "Childhood Predictors of Unemployment in Early Adulthood," American Sociological Review, 63 (3), 424-451.

³Chen, Z., Kaplan, H. (2003). School Failure in Early Adolescence and Status Attainment in Middle Adulthood: A Longitudinal Study." Sociology of Education, 76 (2), 110-127. Miller, P., Mulvey, C. and Martin, N., 1995. "What Do Twins Studies Reveal about the Economic Returns to Education? A Comparison of Australian and U.S. Findings," The American Economic Review, 85(3), 586-599; Sewell, W., Hauser, R., & Wolf, W., 1980. "Sex, Schooling, and Occupational Status," American Journal of Sociology, 86(3), 551 - 583.

⁴Murnane, R., Willett, J., and Tyler, J. 2000. "Who Benefits from Obtaining a GED? Evidence from High School and Beyond." The Review of Economics and Statistics, 82 (1), 22-37.

⁵U.S. Department of Education, national Center for Education Statistics. (2004). Issue Brief: Educational Attainment of High School Drop Outs Eight Years Later, NCES 2005-026.

⁶Laird, L., Lew, S., Debell, M., and Chapman, C.D. (2001). Dropout Rates in the United States: 2002,2003. NCES 2006-062. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2006/2006062.pdf Boisjoly, J., Harris, K., and Duncan, G., 1998. "Initial Welfare Spells: Trends, Events, and Duration," Social Service Review, 72 (4), 466 - 492; Moore, K., Glei, D., Driscoll, A., Zaslow, M., and Redd, Z. (in press). "Poverty and Welfare Patterns: Implications for Children," Journal of Social Policy.

⁷ Lochner, L., and Moretti, E. (2004). "The Effect of Education on Crime: Evidence from Prison Immates, Arrests, and Self Reports." The American Economic Review, 94 (1), 155-189. Freeman, R. (1996). "Why Do So Many Young American Men Commit Crimes and What Might We Do About It?" Journal of Economic Perspectives, 10(1), 25 - 42.