Reply to MCPS Graduation Rate Drops to 88.7% for 2024-2025 School Year; Down from 91.85% Previous Year

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Reply to "MCPS Graduation Rate Drops to 88.7% for 2024-2025 School Year; Down from 91.85% Previous Year"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Stop passing kids who don’t show mastery of foundational skills. Those students almost always have low attendance rates too. [/quote]

STFU stupid supremacist MAGA[/quote]

Obviously a troll, but can you explain why you think this?

When schools offered wood shop, metal shop, auto shop, etc. many kids mostly boys) had some life skills to fall back on if they dropped out. I don’t know why public schools fail to offer alternative paths for kids who aren’t academically inclined or motivated. [/quote]

MCPS tends to centralize those programs, which does not mean they don't exist. There are plenty of kids doing half days at Thomas Edison and finishing HS with AA degrees in health sciences or child development, or partially through an apprenticeship in HVAC or carpentry.

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/career-readiness/plans/hs-plans/[/quote]

That’s great, but the trades haven’t been pushed as strongly as college. If a kid isn’t “college material “ because of grades (which may be due to other factors) MCPS doesn’t do a great job in pushing the trades as an alternative. Oftentimes, such kids fall through the cracks and stop attending school (while being kept on the books for funding purposes).

Also, centralized trade programs mean that they’re out of sight, out of mind. Unless peers or teachers notice and suggest that path (see above), at risk kids won’t notice those trade programs.[/quote]

Honest question - do you have an MCPS high schooler? Because I do and hear about these programs all the time even as a parent whose kid is on a different path. You are basically saying that counselors don't tell kids about these programs, but do you have any experience behind that?

The decision to centralize programs allows MCPS to offer a more robust suite of programs. Instead of a kid being able to take maybe 2 years of shop at a regular high school (as was the case at my HS), they can earn and entire certification and be employable straight out of HS. That is objectively better for kids on a trades path. [/quote]

Yes I do. Two kids in fact. And yes, counselors haven’t pushed trade school over college over the last couple of generations of kids. Today, the interest in the trades is actually coming from kids - but some counselors are still stuck in the past, particularly where their school administrators or central office still want a high college attendance rate after graduation. I’ve heard this first hand from one counselor.

Also, many MCPS high schools are very short on counselors, so they can’t adopt the required personal approach for individual kids. MCPS could use more counselors instead of administrators and consultants. 
[/quote]

There's starting to be a focus on getting students college or CAREER ready.  I just put the career in caps just to emphasize in the shift, not trying to shout or anything.

For example in Maryland Blueprint, the goal is to have 45 percent of students industry certified:
https://www.gwdb.maryland.gov/policy/gwdb2024blueprintgoalpolicyoverview.pdf

So you will likely see school systems shift there focus more towards CTE programs than before.

I've said it before in other posts, while I do somewhat see the value in this in getting students able to get a job after high school, I have issues with this as well.  Where it basically makes students limited in their growth potential.  With a good foundation and developed critical thinking skills of pursuing rigorous and wellrounded coursework, not only would students have the aptitude to learn and perform trades but they would eventually be able to pursue higher level pathways too.  This is coming from someone who didn't initially understand the point and cost of college.  So explored the trade school route for a little bit.  Then realizing how stupid I was when seeing other people in the profession with no other option, while my option was to go back to college and have an easier and better life.

Ironically just a day or two ago they reaired the second to last episode of the George Lopez show, which showed the factory workers scared that they were losing their jobs and they had limited options.  So it was important to the father that the son pursued his education.  It was the same thing with the Cosby show in trying to stress the importance of education.  Say what you will about Bill Cosy and George Lopez but both of their sitcoms tried to stress the importance of education.[/quote]

I think we both agree that education is important, it’s just the form that education takes may differ. At my company, we have plenty of former enlisted military members. They went into the military because of the cost of college, to learn a trade/skill, and get the GI Bill if they wanted to go to college. Some went to college, while others used the company benefit to go. The military gave them the skills they needed to be successful. College was just to get past the hiring screener. [/quote]

Being enlisted is not an easy lifestyle.  And, the career field active duty does not always translate into a civilian job which is why so many struggle when they get out or retire.  You make it sound easy but clearly you're family has never been enlisted.  [/quote]

Actually, I am VERY familiar with enlisted service. Unfortunately, many kids and their parents believe the half truths that recruiters tell them. Everyone has heard a, “but my recruiter told me this” story.  Most recruiters are not bad, but they have quotas to meet, and that pressure can lead to bending the truth or outright lying.[/quote]

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