Backtalk: 10/27/2009

In response to the comment "what do we gain" about raising the drop out age, kids will not think they can just stop going to school at 18, maybe they will keep trying instead of giving up at 16.

re R$EDISTRIBUTION. lame analogy

re NO UNION TIES. Union are a good thing. They pay their taxes unlike many of the small businesses that deal in cash and the govt never gets to see it.

re IMPRACTICAL: 16 is too young. If you got kept back, let's hope you graduated by 18.
re COMMON KNOWLEDGE: " success rate" ????, as in graduation

re TERM LIMITS: give it up. it's anti-democratic to be preventing anyone from running, because you don't like the outcome.

How about not high school diploma or GED no drivers license.

Denying someone a license if they don't graduate makes a lot of sense... not! The state puts in a test that not all students can pass, says you can't have a diploma unless you pass it, and that is the major reason that most students drop out. No sense in staying if you just can't pass the test (and not all students are intellectually gifted). Let them at least be able to drive to a job that they may get to be able to support themselves! Or do away with the MCAS and they'll stay on their own.

Security at LRTA Lowell, MA: Is there any real security at the LR-TA Bus station? I have seen people get harassed, threaten, even hurt by other people there. But I never
seen security around, when these things happen. Sometimes when LRTA employee's are around and see things they never do anything about it. But it would normally be the maintenance people or cleaning crew people. Not real security guards. And if they do have security guards, where are they? Off to the side in some room watching camera footage or TV? They never seem to be there when you need them.

And does the lrta consider the maintenance people or cleaning crew people their security? Hope not.
These people won't do anything, when something takes place.

parent wrote:

Denying someone a license if they don't graduate makes a lot of sense... not! The state puts in a test that not all students can pass, says you can't have a diploma unless you pass it, and that is the major reason that most students drop out. No sense in staying if you just can't pass the test (and not all students are intellectually gifted). Let them at least be able to drive to a job that they may get to be able to support themselves! Or do away with the MCAS and they'll stay on their own.

Very well written. I agree based on your eloquent point of view!

parent wrote:

Denying someone a license if they don't graduate makes a lot of sense... not! The state puts in a test that not all students can pass, says you can't have a diploma unless you pass it, and that is the major reason that most students drop out. No sense in staying if you just can't pass the test (and not all students are intellectually gifted). Let them at least be able to drive to a job that they may get to be able to support themselves! Or do away with the MCAS and they'll stay on their own.

I agree that denying someone a license would be out of the question, but MCAS is not a test for the intellectually gifted. The kids who aren't passing MCAS need to spend more time in school and not be allowed to drop out because they don't want to put the effort in. Thanks to NCLB, MCAS is here to stay. So we need to keep these kids in school as long as possible in order to help them earn diplomas.