Firstly, when students drop out of school, it’s as much, if not more so, a parental problem as it is a school problem. Enforcement of the importance of education starts at home, and when children are under age, it is the parent who sets the rules and should expect that they be followed.
Along with a child having a good moral character and respect for others, staying in school and working to learn everything you can should be high on a parent’s priority list.
While it’s far easier for parents to point a finger of blame at the school system and its educators, the truth can be found as close as the nearest mirror.
School officials offer a building, teachers, subjects, two good meals a day and all the education that can be chocked into one seven-hour day. They also, as outlined by county school officials at a meeting earlier this week, are working to find innovative ways to keep students at risk for abandoning their education early in school longer, hopefully until they can receive a diploma.
That’s really all educators can do. It’s the proverbial “you can lead the horse to water but can’t make them drink” scenario that lands the ultimate responsibility squarely at the doorsteps of parents. They are ultimately responsible for ensuring their childen stay in school, and they should do everything within their power to keep their teenagers there until a diploma can be obtained.
We know it’s difficult, even more so today than ever before, but we believe it’s imperative in so many ways. Even if education isn’t a priority for a parent; even if a parent was a high school dropout, they should work every day, alongside educators, to reenforce the need to stay in school and learn everything that is offered.
Dr. Tommy Macon, director of secondary education for Sampson County Schools, was right to point out to school officials earlier this week that dropout rates often correlate with crime. That doesn’t mean that every single dropout will wind up a criminal, but it does mean that the chances become far greater for those teenagers who aren’t in school. Why? Simple: They have far more time on their hands and often less parental supervision during hours when they should be in school, leaving them to ther own designs or worse still the designs of others who can easily lead them astray.
We believe school officials are doing everything in their power to keep young people in school, and that is no less true in the Lakewood District, where early reports seem to indicate that area’s rate is likely to be nearly double where it was a year ago.
That should not be a reflection of the hard work going on at those schools, where educators and administrators are pulling out every stop to ensure that young people understand the importance of an education no matter their grade level.
There are many good things going on at those schools, and there are many caring educators there who work tirelessly to ensure that students have every opportunity to learn.
But they cannot teach those who aren’t there. And they cannot do it alone. They need the help of parents and the community, who hand-in-hand, can help make a difference in the dropout rate, whether it’s one child or 148.
This problem is a societal one; the solution, therefore, must come from us all.
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