Saturday, February 19, 2005
Here's a step in the right direction. Educators and business leaders in Georgia have announced a plan to reduce the drop-out rate among high school students. Read more.
Dropping out of high school creates a lifetime economic disability. This decision is the single most important economic decision that a young person makes. Yet, most young people are making this decision without adult supervision. (We are more upset about underaged drinking.) Dropping out of high school costs a young person $200,000 in lost lifetime earnings, compared to high school graduates and about $800,000 compared to college graduates.
There are common sense strategies to reduce drop-outs, and to learn more, you can visit the National Dropout Prevention Center at Clemson University.
Part of the problem is the woefully inadequate career guidance in high school. It is not uncommon for high school counsellors to have 200 or 300 students to advise. (Translation: there's no real career guidance going on.)
Meanwhile, in Michigan, a state legislator has introduced legislation to increase the age at which a young person can drop out from 16 to 18. Read more.
posted by Ed Morrison |
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Some Background on EDPro Weblog
The purpose of this weblog is to help economic development professionals -- EDPros -- keep up with the changes sweeping our profession. Strap on your goggles. It's a whole new game. There are no experts any more. The only place to learn about economic development is from other EDPros who are doing it.
One other point: the prevaling approach (paradigm, if you like) in economic development is shifting from competition to collaboration. There are a lot of reaasons underlying this shift, but here's the important insight: You, your community, and your region will do better by collaborating and sharing information.
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Speaking and workshops on Open Source Economic Development
As the idea of Open Source Economic Development starts spreading, more people are asking about it. Visit the I-Open web site to learn more. My colleagues and I are happy to explain the basic concepts in a talk or a workshop. E-mail Susan Alshuler if you'd like to learn more about workshops and speaking.
Background on Ed Morrison
Download some background information on me here.
Georgia tackles the problem of dropouts
