Debate continues over the percentage of students who drop out of U.S. high schools today before graduation. Time magazine recently reported that the rate is as high as 30 percent. Can anything be done to drastically lower that rate? And who should do it? Allan F. Wright, a teacher and author of "Silent Witnesses in the Gospels" (St. Anthony Messenger Press), argues that there is something important that schools and administrations should do about this problem: empower teachers to teach in ways that prepare students for life, not just for test-taking. Stephen Kent, executive editor of Seattle's Catholic Northwest Progress, argues that schools can't do it all --- that society at large must accept its share of responsibility for the current situation.

Not if society at large accepts its responsibility
By Stephen Kent

While a good deal of responsibility for the high school dropout rate rests with the schools (unchallenging classes, uninspired teachers, inadequate facilities and equipment), society itself must share the responsibility.

Property tax statements that homeowners receive annually display the categories of spending for the taxes collected. Among the categories -- roads, police, fire protection -- it is public education that receives the largest share of the tax pie.

But the public accepts a level of waste in this largest category that would provoke outrage if found in another.

Imagine the reaction if we discovered that tax funds collected to purchase three fire engines bought only two or that taxes to finance 30 miles of road yielded only 20.

Yet there is little outcry when money is spent inefficiently and ineffectively in the largest category. National research places the graduation rate in public high schools at about 70 percent; almost one-third of those entering high school fail to graduate.

Poor reporting and inaccurate student counting leave the public unaware of the situation, according to a study commissioned by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The study is like an engineering report on the damage to a building due to deferred maintenance when "I didn't know it was that bad" is the owner's typical response.

The Gates Foundation study, "The Silent Epidemic," surveyed former students ages 16 to 25 in 25 U.S. locations. Focus groups examined the situation from the perspective of students who dropped out of high school.

More than a third said they left because of academic challenges; half said classes were not interesting.

They said the level of proactive parental involvement was low. Almost 40 percent said they had too much freedom and not enough rules in their lives; 32 percent left to get a job. When a teenager drops out to get a job for money to buy something, it is often instant gratification, an end product of consumerism and materialism.

But critiques of consumerism, excessive individualism and family breakdown often are discounted as the nagging preaching of those who "want to impose their morality on us."

Society has to look not just at the numbers but at itself and accept some responsibility for the effect of this cultural environment. When the common good, community and solidarity are subordinated, a permissive, lax and selfish environment is not an unexpected result.

High school dropouts impose a high cost on society. Those with no diploma are much more likely to be unemployed, living in poverty, incarcerated or receiving public assistance.

As a more and more complex society evolves, it faces the unhappy prospect of fewer educated members to manage change. A demand for critical thinking and thoughtful consideration accompanies the changing nature of information technology, stem-cell research, cloning and bioengineering.

And with the need to develop an ethical system of living, it is worrisome to think of a society in which one-third of adults lack a high school diploma.

A society that truly values an educated citizenry will demonstrate education's importance by living what it allegedly values.

The sorry rate of high school graduation may be a silent epidemic, but it is an epidemic for which a vaccination exists.

It is not a matter of want of a remedy as much as a matter of the will to apply it.

Stephen Kent is executive editor of Catholic Northwest Progress, the newspaper of the Seattle Archdiocese.

Not if teachers are allowed to do their jobs
By Allan F. Wright

The current U.S. high school dropout rate of about 15 percent signals that schools have much work to do.

Preventing students from dropping out and providing them with a compelling reason to stay in school is a challenge that educators and school districts must face head-on. There is enough blame to go around, but the "blame game" doesn't fix the problem.

The popular "no child left behind" mantra is noble and succinct, but the current system often leaves schools, teachers, parents and communities out of the picture, to the student's detriment. And lack of funding is certainly a major issue, but educators can't sit and wait for the big bucks to flow in before starting to make changes.

While the outlook for many school districts seems bleak, I believe there is hope. It comes first and foremost in the form of creative teachers and school districts that allow educators the freedom to teach students to learn instead of teaching them to test well.

It is the teacher who is on the front line. A teacher needs the confidence of the administration, parents and all in the community who have a stake in the welfare of students.

When a child drops out of school the entire community suffers. When the child succeeds, the positive effects can impact generations.

A classroom teacher needs the flexibility and time to reach students in ways that best suit their needs so that they do well not only on tests but in the real world. Too many teachers are put in straitjackets by school districts.

Some professionals say that as many as 20 different learning styles are utilized by students today. One style doesn't fit all! Teachers who can identify each student's learning style can then teach that particular student in the best ways.

Another concern is the teacher's time. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon to have a teacher with a master's degree or beyond responsible for hall duty and lunchroom supervision. Imagine a hospital surgeon with the same responsibilities as the candy striper volunteer!

Teachers must be afforded the opportunity to use their gifts and talents in order to teach students to do the same.

Allowing students to devise their own ways to communicate material may be unorthodox, but it can bring a sense of excitement and ownership to the education experience for the student. If one student learns kinesthetically (by doing, acting or moving), then that student, after grasping the material, can teach another student in the same way. Administrators who recognize and affirm teachers' innovations and efforts quickly will see the fruits of such labor.

Finally, school systems must keep up with our growing, changing society. If you could go back 100 years to observe a hospital operating room, it would look much different from today's operating room. But if you went back 100 years and looked into a classroom, how much discernible difference would there be?

Change is good and necessary. Regardless, with or without the latest technology, the classroom teacher is still the one who must guide students, doing so with a delicate touch that brings out the very best.

No school district lacks challenges and pressures, and no one teacher can meet every student's need. However, a positive remark and encouraging word can truly help students become all that they are created to be.

Allan F. Wright is a teacher at Union Catholic High School in Scotch Plains, N.J., and author of the book "Silent Witness in the Gospels."