Building a Grad Nation Report

What is the ideal graduation rate? Hint: It’s not 100%.

America’s Promise Alliance has just posted an update on their goal to ensure that at least 90% of the American population consists of brain-dead zombies, or high school graduates as they are more widely known. Unfortunately, they have made progress. Their estimates now show a graduation rate of over 75%.

We just keep going up and up. Meanwhile, quality of life keeps going down. Perhaps this organization is focusing on the wrong things. Perhaps one single rigid schooling system is not ideal for 100% (or even 90%) of the population. Maybe that’s just a piece of common sense that loyal schooling supporters seem to lack.

The bottom line is that this group is siding with the schools in their war against education. Education should be viewed as a need. I will not join this war with them. I will not support their cause.

Part of the problem here is that it is impossible for the schooling process to meet the educational needs of individuals. As a result, the process will never be as efficient or healthy as self-education. If we push the schools too hard, we are preventing children from receiving a healthy education. Regardless of what anyone says about the dropouts, all high-school graduate have been robbed of their educational rights. A 100% graduation rate would guarantee that 0% of the population would have received a healthy education.

I have read comments regarding this report on multiple websites. Comments vary from an understanding of the educational harm that is being pushed to people actually believing that dropping out should be a crime.

Most comments talk about the problems with such a high dropout rate and how it’s because of the deterioration of society. Considering that these people support the schools, you have to wonder why they are bringing this up on a report of increased graduation rates. Perhaps the schools aren’t part of the solution. Perhaps they are part of the problem.

As I said earlier, a number of people think that there should be laws requiring people to graduate high school. I’m sure the schools would love this because they could ensure that all dropouts are criminals. As we have seen numerous times over the years, converting dropouts into criminals generates skewed data (although I can’t be certain since I have never seen any numbers) that can convince people that schooling is useful as a crime-prevention tool.

For years, I have questioned the legal status of true education. I have even stated that I would love to help legalize education. If these blind and loyal schooling backers can pass a law requiring graduation, there would no longer be any doubt. True education would be illegal in America. I have wanted clarification, but that goes the wrong way.

Even if you don’t view education as a need, it should still be viewed as a fundamental human right. This organization is fighting that right and inspiring others to join them. I have no choice but to state the obvious. America’s Promise Alliance is dangerous.