News, Even for Dropouts, Being on the Right Side of the Digital Divide Matters. (college, high school)

[JD59]

The assumption in industrialized countries is that if you don’t go to college your future is likely pretty bleak. As the title of a 1998 report read, "To the Educated, the Spoils." And to the uneducated, the spoiled.

And if you didn’t even graduate high school. Ooh, let the hand-wringing begin. According to the Alliance for Excellent Education, the average income for a dropout (in 2009) was $19,540 compared to $27,380 for a graduate and $46,930 for someone with a bachelor’s degree. High school dropouts are much more likely to be unemployed, to be let go first when times get tough, and to end up in prison (82 percent of inmates don’t have a diploma).

Being on the Right Side of the Digital Divide Matters

[jp4]

One thing to consider is what the true value of an education is today. The process of k-12 education is a sizable amount of time and consists a good chunk of secondhand knowledge. There is a lot of filler involved in that specific process as well and that time can potentially be better used. The bottom line is: is the specific person a type to let other people tell them what to do, or are they someone who thinks independently and uses education as a supplement to their endeavors.

[Linda_d]

That's an interesting article.

Some pertinent points:

• While there's been lots of talk about 4 year graduation rates, the reality is that only 10% of young Americans don't earn a hs diploma or GED by age 24. The bad news with this is that the poorly educated tend to be concentrated within racial/ethnic groups and geographic areas.
• Another point is that of the students who drop out of school without finishing, about 30% do eventually get themselves on better career paths.
• Having access to a computer in the home, greatly increases the likelihood that a dropout will end up in the 30% who improve their economic standing.
• Apparently, discrimination against Blacks, especially Black dropouts, remains alive and well.