A reader sent me an article about how high school dropouts are draining the state, according to a new study. I am enclosing the story below as it is quite short. Looks like the continued ineptitude at the Santa Ana Unified School District has become a burden for the entire state!
I don’t blame the teachers. The blame goes to the horrible school board, the Superintendent and her bumbling administration, and Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido, who campaigned to get the board majority elected. His friend Rob Richardson, the board president, in particular is responsible for this disaster. Read on…
California’s high school dropouts are costing the state billions of dollars in lost earnings, tax revenue, medical costs and other government expenditures, according to a study released yesterday.
Every year about 120,000 Californians turn 20 without a high school diploma, the study says. Over a lifetime, that group will cost the state $46.4 billion, mainly in lost earnings.
The same group also costs taxpayers $3.1 billion in lost state and local tax revenues, and $3.5 billion in health care, $2.5 billion in crime and $400 million in welfare costs, or about $9.5 billion over a lifetime, according to the California Dropout Research Project at the University of California Santa Barbara.
A high school graduate, meanwhile, earns an average of $290,000 more during a lifetime and pays $100,000 more in taxes than a dropout, the study says.
The study’s authors said the state would realize a
Question – Why is the blame being put on the ones the furthest from the classroom? I do not understand how the Teachers, the kids and the parents do not have any personal responsibility? How involved are these parents in their children’s education? How involved are the teachers with the kids education? IMO, most kids will fail – no matter what their economic situation and no matter what school they attend – if the parents are not involved. If no one cares about their education, they will not either. So have you or any of your parajito’s Art interviewed the dropouts and asked them how involved their parents were? If education was #1 in their family? I think there are many to blame and most likely it is not all the burden of the board members.
The high school drop out problem stems from home. You can have the best of everything for the students, but if the students are not in school then it is all for not. We need to realize that by the time our students arrive in middle school, most of them have already achieved more academically than their parents. Oftentimes, students are used to provide childcare at home or are taken to the job site with the parent in order to increase the family income.
Additionally, if a child has not attended preschool, the child is already behind academically when entering kindergarten. It’s actually a very complex situation.
I suggest everyone rent the 1988 movie “Stand and Deliver” a true story about a mostly Latino classroom in L.A. that showed that even kids whose parents are just like S.A. parents can succeed if they have a great teacher who believes in them. Who is in charge of hiring great teachers? The school board. Art is right again.
It seems easy for the bloggers to blame Richardson, but it’s not a one man show. Let’s not forget there are others on the board that have been there for years.
Noji, Avila, Palacios, Hernandez, and even now-councilmember Sal Tinajero have all had a hand in driving this district deep into the shambles it is.
Let’s make sure we recognize them as well.
How about some more background on Richardson from those who know? We met him during the recall and he seemed like a nice fellow.
The students who succeeded in “Stand and Deliver” are identical to our students in Santa Ana who graduate and go on to college. What “Stand and Deliver” does not address is the students who never made it far enough into high school to enter Jaime Escalante’s classroom. That is the purpose of this thread – to discuss the students who do not succeed and become drop outs.
“The students who succeeded in “Stand and Deliver” are identical to our students in Santa Ana who graduate and go on to college.”
Funny, I’ve never heard of any movie inspiring classes in Santa Ana unified that year after year are winning Math awards like in Stand and Deliver? What I have seen played out over and over again are lots of Santa Ana versions of “America Me”!
#7
You do a real disservice to all of our students who successfully passed the CASHEE and who, additionally, have gone on to colleges and universities throughout our country and abroad. Maybe you are new to this blog, but in June a thread was posted regarding the many successes of our high school graduates at the university level. You might want to go back and read it.
And yet, with all of the successes, we still need to question the high number of dropouts not just in Santa Ana, but throughout the state. I wish that it was a simple fix such as changing the make-up of the school board and/or replacing some administrators at the district office and school sites with more competent administrators. But, as I earlier posted, the problem is far more complex.
#4
Richardson deserves to be singled out. He was heralded as the chosen one to make the district all well after the evil Nativo Lopez was driven from office.
He has been a major disappointment! He serves at the pleasure of Pulido and not his constituents.
Trivalizing the wave of discontent with Richardson as blogger-driven only is incorrect. Many in the community are not pleased with Richardson’s lack luster performance.
Answer me this.
Is there a right to drop out?
Is it a crime NOT to finish High School.
If all the students went to college and became PhD’s, where would the ditch diggers and bathroom cleaners come from?
If all the students went to college and became PhD’s, where would the ditch diggers and bathroom cleaners come from?
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No, it’s not a crime to drop out. But don’t we as educators have a professional responsibility to encourage our students to enter the workforce with an education that will allow them a myriad of job opportunities.
Personally, I have no problem with manual labor. However, for someone to be forced into manual labor because they have a limited education and no job skills does not bode well for society.
Dear #8,
If it’s such a great school district then why do so few teachers or the school board members want to send their little ones to these outstanding Santa Ana schools? Maybe the teachers themselves have not received your great news about how swell the students are doing!
I wouldn’t trust the SAUSD to educate my pet Schnauzer let alone my three kids!
Anon 2:55pm said,
#15 writes …
“Just make sure you get your Schnauzer in a Fundamental school or in one of the GATE programs..”
Therein lies a good chunk of what’s wrong with SAUSD; SAUSD is a two-tiered school system designed not offer an equal opportunity for a quality public education for all.
And from my perch, that’s discriminatory and a violation of students’ civil rights. Go ahead and laugh Flowerzzz… but it’s reminiscent of Mendez v Westminster and we’re supposed to be more enlighted as a society.
Since the fundamental principle is working so well, it boggles the mind to ask … why isn’t the fundamental program modeled in all SAUSD schools?
Flowerzzz one size fits all mentality is old school. And most SAUSD district administrators are not qualified or are root rotting because they are still tied to teachings from the 20th century.
The recent announcement that Drs. Stainer and Brathcer are retiring is a step in the right direction, however much work needs to be done.
As far as the film Stand and Deliver; it’s a movie. Developed and filmed in Hollywoodland. Jamie Escalante was a brilliant math teacher, however he left LAUSD a bitter, disgruntled and disillusioned man. Unfortunately the school district was not interested in his talent and passion for teaching.
It’s my understanding CA Ed Code stipulates a child must attend school until the age of 18.
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#16 – what’s wrong with old school thought? Seems like whatever is happening in SAUSD is not working so maybe it is time for the old school parental involvement. Hold the parents accountable like they used to. I hold myself (and my kids of couse) accountable when my kids are doing poorly at school. I do not blame teachers, the principal, or the School Board.
If I look really hard and am honest about what is going on at home….it is usually that I have been really consumed with work and not paying attention if their school work is done. It does take effort on the part of the parents to put the fear of god in kids that education is #1. I communicate with my kids, their teachers, I ride their butts about homework, studying, etc. I do not expect straight A’s, but I expect them to acheive to the best of their ability.
Is it hardwork…you bet! After a long day the last thing I want to do is nag my kids about school, look at their work, etc…and it is a lot of work to even get anything out of them period. But it is supposed to be hard work. Most things that are worth anything require hard work. And my kids are worth it…aren’t yours?
It truly amazes me that so many parents think that when their kids get into high school…they are pretty much done with their job. That is when your kids need you the most. These decisions they make in HS will effect their lives forever.
Maybe I am being dramatic….I dunno. I just do not think the School Board itself bears the brundt of the blame here. I think there are many failing those kids…starting at home.
My understanding is that Century High School now offers SSL (Schnauzer as a Second Language) as part of the STP (Schnauzer Training Program) which is funded through a Federal Grant NSLB (No Schnauzer Left Behind)