Dropout Rate in Detroit Schools Needs to be Addressed Now

Students at Detroit schools are leaving before graduation at a disturbing rate. Depending on which estimate you believe, the number ranges from 34 to 68%. Whichever number you decide is the right one, these levels are still far too high.

Students at Detroit Schools Must Stay Long Enough to Graduate

The world today is much different from the one that many of us grew up in. There was a point in time when a person could leave school before graduation and be able to support themselves. Jobs in manufacturing and office administration were readily available. That is no longer the case.

In order to have a chance of being able to qualify for good-paying jobs, students attending Detroit schools need to stay long enough to graduate. A high school diploma is only a starting point now; after these young people have finished their education at Detroit schools, they should be planning on attending college or university.

Teachers and administrators at Detroit schools should be looking for signs that a student is having difficulty in school and is at risk for dropping out. When these students are identified, someone should be approaching them to find out what the difficulty is and to provide assistance. It's not enough to decide to pass a law stating that students need to be enrolled in Detroit schools until they reach the age of 18; someone needs to care enough to try to find out what is going on with that student and to try to find a solution to the problem.

If a standard classroom situation doesn't work for all students at Detroit schools, then let's get some alternative programs in place. Offer apprenticeship training, or work terms to students. Anything that will keep them learning should be considered.

Dropout Rate at Detroit Schools Affects All of Us

If you think that the dropout rate at Detroit schools is a problem for just the students and their parents, then you would be wrong. When young people, including those attending Detroit schools, aren't well prepared for adult life by getting a good education, it affects all of us. Do we want a generation of young people where a significant number are barred from good jobs, simply because they had difficulties in Detroit schools?

We really don't want significant numbers of young people giving up on education too soon. It really is the key to success in life. A young person in their late teens simply doesn't have the maturity to understand that the decisions they are making regarding whether to stay in Detroit schools can have a significant effect on their life in the future. Let's do everything we can to keep young people in school until graduation.