Chicago 1/2 don't graduate HS

I was stunned to read that half of incoming freshman in Chicago Public Schools don't make it to graduation. We're talking about approximately 15,000 students each year who don't receive a diploma in Chicago.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-dropout_25feb25,1,5192379.story

Nearly half of Chicago public school 9th graders who started high school in the last seven years have dropped out without earning a high school diploma, according to a study to be released Monday.
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"It's a huge issue, and it's not just a huge issue in Chicago. It's a huge issue in all of the large urban districts across the country," said Carmita Vaughan, the district's dropout prevention and recovery director. "For whatever reason over the past 10 years, there has been an alarming trend of students who are not successfully finishing high school."

It's a big issue here too. This is incredibly sad.

In my province, all students have to legally stay in school until they are 18 years of age. The school board pulls out all of the stops to ensure that students have the necessary resources to stay in school until they are 18 years of age. We had a huge problem with kids not graduating high school, the law was changed and more financial resources were put in place to support students. But we fund our schools differently then in the USA.

CyberLaw said:

In my province, all students have to legally stay in school until they are 18 years of age. The school board pulls out all of the stops to ensure that students have the necessary resources to stay in school until they are 18 years of age. We had a huge problem with kids not graduating high school, the law was changed and more financial resources were put in place to support students. But we fund our schools differently then in the USA.

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Illinois state school funding is a huge issue. They instituted the lottery to help finance schools. Instead, the state reduced the state's payout and is relying almost exclusively on property tax. The net result is that some suburbs just outside the city enjoy 99% graduates going on to college. The disparity is huge.

Some districts in IL spend $4,500 per student while the district down the road may spend $15,000.

School districts are struggling to meet the state/federal education requirements without receiving additional funding. In attempts to meet the requirements, programs are cut, class sizes are increased and in the most dire situations, schools are closed.

Our little community's first school was opened in 1902. The class of 2007 was the last class to graduate from our district. Our district no longer exists. We have been absorbed by a neighboring school district. It was a very sad graduation.

jmo

How sad Rhonda. I can't believe Illinois has gotten away with this for so many years. The funding formulas are just antiquated and the Illinois legislature refuses to change. And, now to make matters even worse, they're shorting the teacher's pensions.

Maybe with Chicago schools in such dire circumstances they'll consider over-hauling the entire system .... it's long overdue.