Stemming The Dropout Rate

During the last election one of the major issues relevant to my peers and I was Obama’s plan for education. As current students we realized that any projects Obama planned to fund and execute would have little to no affect on our college experience. However, it was still important to us as students to see progress in any area we felt so strongly about.

A recent piece in E School News analyzed Obama’s latest plan thoroughly:

The Obama administration is offering a $900 million carrot to the nation’s school systems to tackle what many view as an abysmal dropout rate that threatens America’s ability to compete in the new global economy. But it’s the “stick” portion of the administration’s plan that has rankled many educators.

Districts would get the money only if they agree to one of four plans to dramatically change or even shut down their worst performing schools. One of these plans involves firing the principal and at least half of the staff members at a struggling school—a turnaround plan that captured national attention when it was tried by the Central Falls, R.I., school system last week.

How bad are dropout rates?

The White House says 1.2 million students drop out of school each year, and only about 70 percent of entering high school freshmen go on to graduate. The problem affects blacks and Latinos at particularly high rates. About 2,000 high schools turn out half of all dropouts, and the administration says it will work with states to identify those schools with graduation rates below 60 percent.

With Obama’s 2011 budget proposal including $900 million for School Turnaround Grants, I hope the money is put to good use. Where would you recommend the money is invested?