Give me a break, one period a week. Maybe everyone should pile into the University of Illinois Pavilion and yell for a half hour to get the anger out of their systems. Help for teen moms to stay in school and raise children who will be ready for school. An administration that is auditing attendance books to get honest numbers and that now plans to factor dropout rates into its decisions on school probation. It should not have taken a jump in the dropout rate to get the administration to pay attention to schools' record keeping, but the practice is a welcome one that should become routine.
Funny numbers breed cynicism, sacrifice children and can lead everyone down the wrong path.
Most high schools are too big and impersonal to hook and hang onto teenagers for the tough work of learning. Class cutting is rampant, and fully half of all freshmen fail at least one course, according to the most recent data available. Vallas and the School Board have some good ideas about how high schools should operate. But they need a class or two in how to get there. They've offered a plan for high school redesign.