State needs greater expectations for Montana’s education success

What percentage of students graduate from Helena high schools? State officials say it’s about 72 percent. School district officials put the number at 77.5 percent.

But there appears to be a wide area of agreement that the graduation rate, without regard for how it’s calculated or by whom, is too low. As is often the case, there is no simple answer to the question of why more than 20 percent of those who enroll at the two local high schools fail to graduate.

The good news is that matter of lowering the dropout rate appears to have a prominent place on the agenda of school officials and hopefully, the community. In a perfect world, all students would graduate and use their high school diploma as a stepping stone to a rich, productive life. In the real world, we have come to expect and accept less.

It’s those expectations that we can and need to address. In Montana, the law only requires students to attend school until they are 16. It’s time to give serious consideration to raising that age to 18.

Full Story: http://helenair.com/news/opinion/editorial/article_5a7821e0-c6d8-11df-82a6-001cc4c002e0.html