Tapsearch Com EditorSailer on LA high schools
January 29th 2007 14:53
Steve Sailer has an excellent study of Los Angeles high schools on VDARE today. I suggest reading the whole thing.
One thing I'd like to draw attention to, however, is his assertion that raising the bar for high school graduation is a bad thing. At first pass my reaction was, "Shouldn't a high school diploma signify some academic achievement?"
But the next sentence was:
"So, the decent kids who show up for class won't have a credential to distinguish themselves with prospective employers from the juvenile delinquents and the goof-off dropouts."
Maybe that's the best way to look at it, particularly in areas with high dropout rates. A high school diploma can show diligence, high SAT scores readiness for college and a college diploma academic achievement. It's not ideal, but a high school diploma can open doors for people who are willing to work yet not smart/ambitious enough to handle advanced studies.
At any rate, Sailer is right that raising the requirement to Algebra II by 2016 is stupid when this is the case now (from the LA Times):
"In the fall of 2004, 48,000 ninth-graders took beginning algebra; 44% flunked, nearly twice the failure rate as in English. Seventeen percent finished with Ds… Among those who repeated the class in the spring, nearly three-quarters flunked again."
That's algebra I! It's like they're asking for lower graduation rates.
One thing I'd like to draw attention to, however, is his assertion that raising the bar for high school graduation is a bad thing. At first pass my reaction was, "Shouldn't a high school diploma signify some academic achievement?"
But the next sentence was:
"So, the decent kids who show up for class won't have a credential to distinguish themselves with prospective employers from the juvenile delinquents and the goof-off dropouts."
Maybe that's the best way to look at it, particularly in areas with high dropout rates. A high school diploma can show diligence, high SAT scores readiness for college and a college diploma academic achievement. It's not ideal, but a high school diploma can open doors for people who are willing to work yet not smart/ambitious enough to handle advanced studies.
At any rate, Sailer is right that raising the requirement to Algebra II by 2016 is stupid when this is the case now (from the LA Times):
"In the fall of 2004, 48,000 ninth-graders took beginning algebra; 44% flunked, nearly twice the failure rate as in English. Seventeen percent finished with Ds… Among those who repeated the class in the spring, nearly three-quarters flunked again."
That's algebra I! It's like they're asking for lower graduation rates.
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