Rahm: No graduation "spiking the ball" shows pathetic cluelessness... (Chicago: 2015, credit)

[chet everett]

I can imagine his staff "cringing on the inside" as they hear these ill chosen words float out his mouth...

CPS To Set New Graduation Requirement: Acceptance Letter « CBS Chicago

our goal is to make sure nobody spikes the ball at 12th grade.

There is absolutely value in coordinating the reality of need to continue education beyond high school but beyond the fact that DENYING DIPLOMAS to kids who've otherwise earned them is TERRIBLE IDEA, does Rahm have any idea how tone deaf it is? Is he that insensitive to suggest there are kids doing an END ZONE CELEBRATION while leaving a system that is notorious for CUTTING SPORTS? Worse, the few athletes that do squeak out of the system and into colleges are among the most poorly prepared -- It is well known that any family whose son or daughter has both the athletic potential and GRADES for Division 1 scholarships flock to the private schools and suburbs...

The image that this suggest Rahm has of the problems of Chicago's underclass is not there is a dearth of opportunity but the individuals "celebrate too soon". That sounds more like something you'd hear from Homeland's Alt-Right character Brett O'Keefe (scarily modeled on Stephen Bannon -- Brett O'Keefe | Homeland TV Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia)

One wonders how Rahm's life would have been different if Sarah Lawrence withheld his diploma unless he could show them proof that he was off to be the third understudy for the Herr Drosselmeyer dancer in a non-union production of the Nutcracker with his dance degree... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rahm_E...and_upbringing

[MSchemist80]

Rahm is a nanny state libbtard
Once they meet the requirements for graduating HS it is none of his business what they are doing next. How is denying them a diploma going to help them?

He should focus his attention on making CPS solvent and functional.

[citylove101]

An interesting idea in theory. Especially since the diploma is based not just on college acceptance, but, as the article says, also on acceptance to trade school, an apprenticeship, or the military. (I think he should also add a letter from an employer to that list too, as there are always kids who will choose to go directly into the workforce.)


The focus on pressuring (and yes, this would be pressure) high school kids to think about what they'll be doing as young adults while they're still young enough to have some options is good thinking, especially for the many poor kids who might already have only a tenuous connection to mainstream society.


But the devil is in the details. When would the kid have to produce the letter? Who would verify it--especially if it came from a private employer--and how? Would a student be denied a HS diploma forever if he didn't have that letter, or only for a certain amount of time? And wouldn't not having a HS diploma make it even harder for disconnected youth to get back into the mainstream? And would the pressure of having to know your post-secondary school plans be enough to make some kids give up on high school altogether? Will each high school get the funding and other resources to do do some serious college and career counseling? And who will that job fall on? Existing staff?


then again, maybe kids will begin opting for the GED because they could get the equivalent of a HS diploma without the strings attached. And what about those kids who did all their schoolwork but just don't want to go to college or know what they want to do, which you have to admit isn't unusual at 17 or 18.


Yeah, fund the schools and make them functional. No question. But it isn't inherently wrong to try to force kids to think seriously about their future. I'm skeptical that this is the way to do it, but the idea behind it is right.

[andrew61]

If you've earned a high school diploma fair and square, then you've earned it. The city should not have the right to withhold it from you whether you continue your education or not. What you do after high school is your business.

Fortunately, I highly doubt that this "idea" of his would withstand a court challenge.

[nana053]

While the idea is questionable, Texas already has a similar plan though not having to get a letter of acceptance to something.

Here the students must get an *endorsement* which is like a college major sort of.

Texas High School Graduation Requirements, Explained

What really sets the Foundation High School program apart is the endorsements. These are essentially the high school version of college majors; by taking “a coherent sequence or series of courses” in one of five areas, students can earn a diploma with an endorsement in that area.

The five endorsements available to students are STEM, Business and Industry, Public Services, Arts and Humanities, and Multidisciplinary Studies.

The endorsement system also accommodates students with multiple interests – it is possible to earn more than one endorsement. So long as a student completes four credits each of math and science and two additional elective credits – those being the foundational requirements for all endorsements – the student can earn any endorsements for which they fulfill the curriculum requirements.The Foundation requirements depart from the prior systems in that they allow students to take relatively fewer courses in some areas and make up the difference in other areas which are more interesting or relevant to them. For instance, a student who wants to be an engineer could opt to take only three years of social studies and focus on computer science classes instead. However, this does not apply equally for all endorsement subject areas, because every endorsement requires four credit hours of both math and science. So for instance, a student pursuing the Arts and Humanities endorsement could not choose to skip out on the fourth year of math or science.