In too many states, legislators meddle in schools nonstop, mandating tests that most of the legislators couldn’t pass, changing the high-school graduation requirements without thinking of the consequences.
But at least the legislators will give those who didn’t meet the last graduation requirement a new chance to earn a diploma.
Without a diploma, a young adult can’t get a decent job.
“Former Nevada students who failed to earn a high school diploma because they couldn’t pass the state’s proficiency exam now have a shot at redemption.
“In 2013, the state Legislature approved phasing out the proficiency exam graduation requirement in favor of four end-of-course tests. But before the end-of-course exam requirement went into effect, legislation removed that requirement in 2017.
“That created a situation where students who didn’t pass the proficiency exam were being held to a different standard than more recent students.
“That will change as the result of a guidance memo sent to district superintendents by the state on Oct. 13, as long as the student meets all other graduation requirements.
“The change levels the playing field for adult education learners who are still trying to earn a diploma, according to the state.
“If it wasn’t retroactive we’d have a situation where we’d say if you’re 22, here’s your diploma, if you’re 23, take the test,” said Henry King, an educational program professional in the state Department of Education. “It would have created an artificial age line in adult ed by which there would have been different graduation requirements based on how old they were.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Even with a diploma a good paying job is not available. Even with a college degree a good paying job is not available. We have people with college degrees doing jobs that high school dropouts should be doing.
Only 27% of college graduates get jobs in their chosen fields. About 50% do not jobs that even require a college degree at all.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, for 2012-2022, 27% of all jobs will require less than a high school diploma. Also, only 27% of all jobs will require a college degree, (Associate’s 4%, Bachelor’s 18%, Master’s 2%, and PhD’s 3%.)
This education level is only one for which we fall way short. With over 90% of all adults have either a high school diploma or GED we do not have enough high school dropouts for the jobs that do exist. Only 39% of all jobs will require a high school diploma. About 7% will require some college but no diploma.
Most of the jobs that require a high school diploma really do not. A case in point. The single biggest employer of high school graduates, the US military, say you must have a high school diploma, due to technology. I say it is the exact opposite. A trained monkey could operate an automated system. In order to maintain it more schooling will be required and the military will supply that training. This is a small minority of the enlisted military.
Of course they are redefining what high school is so that they can graduate 90%. It is not high school at all.
We need to accept that high school dropouts and the fact that they do have a role to play in society but they need to be given a livable wage. We need to stop looking down our noses at high school dropouts.
We have dumbed down America over the past 2-3 decades, so that we can get more than 70-75% high school graduation rates.
A livable wage will probably never happen though. Every time they raise the minimum wage some of these very people lose their jobs.
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AMEN to your first line, Diane, “In too many states, legislators meddle in schools nonstop, mandating tests that most of the legislators couldn’t pass, changing the high-school graduation requirements without thinking of the consequences.”
Politicians do PRETEND work at the behest of BIG $$$$$.
And I will add, “Our elections are RIGGED.”
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Legislators are trying to micro-manage schools and turn them into engines of the economy. Wrong on both counts. Shortsighted.
In Ohio, Governor Kasich recently focused on the job prospects for students who had just presented a choral concert at the statehouse. It was like an inquisition with the premature conclusion that studies in the arts did not make for good job prospects or help the economy of Ohio. Governor Kasich wants all Ohio public higher education institutions to offer proofs that graduates contribute to the economy of Ohio. His mindset is so typical that Americans for the Arts, the lobby for the National Endowmwnt for the Arts pushes out every economic impact study they can for the arts.
In the meantime there is more wisdom and concern than I would like to see in the upper reaches of knowledge about computing capabilities and how rapidly these developments will overtake our economic assumptions about jobs, including projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. C-Span this weekend featured a presentation from two MIT gurus Andrew McAfee and Erik Brynjolfsson, who discussed and illustrated examples of “machine learning,” expressed concern about the consolidation of computer platforms (e.g. Amazon, Facebook, Google), and thad some uncertaintly about the power (for good or ill) of social media. They see no simple solutions in preparing for a future.
I think future forecasting is risky business, especially as a point of departure for education. See C-Spna programming and https://www.amazon.com/Machine-Platform-Crowd-Harnessing-Digital/dp/0393254291
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CA did away with proficiency tests. No more graduation exams to pass while
LAUSD peeled back grad requirements.
Every CA student gets a diploma so that the paper diploma has lost its’ meaning or worth.
And now Cal State Universities are scaling back the difficulty of their math classes. Despite professors complaints.
Common Core is graduating students who can’t think for themselves unless they have an iPad in their hands.
Hopefully when you need a Doctor or other professional in the future, they’ve gone to a private school w/o common core and one that demands a standard to graduate.
Right now CA is sinking fast and lobbyists who support charters are doing a jig.
Most parents are so busy surviving they have no idea what’s happening.
Isn’t there one politician who cares? Haven’t found one yet.
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Reblogged this on David R. Taylor-Thoughts on Education.
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