

Drop out nation: Has the GED done more harm than good?  - cwan
http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2010/07/labour

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ComputerGuru
I took the GED to officially "graduate" after finishing 10th grade. I'd
already aced the PSAT, ACT, and SATs, taken 2 APs, and a boatload of 11th and
12th grade math/science subjects. The GED let me start university 2 years
early, and finish a 5 year engineering program a year before my classmates
graduated from their 4 year educations.

Thank you, GED.

~~~
hack_edu
As someone who did something similar, graduating after 11th grade with all
high school credits and upper-tier university requirements achieved, I believe
I had a better education than the GED-to-college crowd. You're the first
actual GED success story I've heard of.

All in all, there's nothing like a four-year university experience. Especially
if you're spending all your time grinding away with huge course loads. You're
cheating yourself by rushing through college or being a junior transfer.

~~~
ant5
> I believe I had a better education than the GED-to-college crowd.

Of course you believe that. Most people tend to any ascribe success to the
efficacy of their earlier life choices and hardships -- to believe you
_didn't_ select the best path would make you uncomfortable.

Nobody wants to think that their suffering through a particular choice was
unnecessary to achieve their current standing.

> You're the first actual GED success story I've heard of.

When you've got government-run schools railroading every student into college,
and few real options outside of that path except for the unusually non-
conformant, then you're just not going to hear about many GED success stories.

> All in all, there's nothing like a four-year university experience.

That's what a lot of people who just concluded a 4-year university experience
say. They very right, but they're hardly unbiased about just how valuable that
unique experience is.

To admit that it may not have been necessary would be uncomfortable,
especially if they're sitting on student loan debt to pay for it.

> You're cheating yourself by rushing through college or being a junior
> transfer.

I could also just easily say you're cheating yourself by waiting until you're
21-24 to get your career and life started.

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patrickgzill
Wrong question.

Better question: how is it that it now takes 12 years to educate someone to a
minimally acceptable standard, when in the days of the one room schoolhouse it
only took 8?

~~~
nuclear_eclipse
Because back then the only math you needed was enough to count the animals on
your farm and the size of your harvest?

These days, high school is much more focused on being a generalized
preparation for a college education, giving students a wide variety of
knowledge in hopes that something of that lot interests them enough that they
know what career they would like to further pursue.

~~~
patrickgzill
Have you ever looked at what was required of an 8th-grade education "back in
the day"? It was much more than counting bushels and goats.

Assuming this is accurate:
<http://people.moreheadstate.edu/fs/w.willis/eighthgrade.html> ... you can see
that this has algebra, volume calculations, weights and measures, etc. I know
many high school graduates that would have difficulty with both the math and
other portions of the test.

And, before you say that this is not representative, let me tell you that I
have known many old farmers with only an 8th grade education who were in fact,
able to operate at the above test's level.

I recall in particular one couple that built a series of multi-million dollar
nursing homes, learning to read and interpret blueprints and handle an
architect's rule, on just such an 8th grade education.

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jeffesp
It is probably personal bias, but I find this article lacking. I tutor once a
week in a GED class and find there is definitely value for the students
outside of the GED itself. My main responsibility is to help the students
develop their math literacy. Sure, they might not use the Pythagorean theorem
once they get out of class, but you can be sure that they will use the
knowledge they gain about percentages the next time they buy something on
sale. There are literally hundreds of examples where, IF the student takes the
time to learn a concept, they will be able to apply it in their life
regardless of whether or not they actually get the GED or not.

(Note: I tutor at a community center and not in a prison, so this probably
changes the demographic a bit.)

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samd
You could write the same article about almost any plan we've tried to end some
social ill. America's social problems run deep and would require a massive
reorganization of society and existing institutions along with widespread
cooperation and participation for them to be fixed. I think our only hope is
to take the long view and try to institute policies that will change people's
attitudes and behaviors over time.

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mml
Mine (1990) has done me neither harm nor good. I'm considering framing it and
hanging it in my office, just to piss off people with fancy book learnin' and
enormous loans.

~~~
chopsueyar
Do it! Be proud of the path.

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bsnss-mn-cdr
"Drop out nation:..." I dropped out of high school to pursue a business
venture, I had started, that was taking off at the time. Initially, I had
every intention of either getting a GED, finishing online or going back at
some later point if things didn't work out. That was 6 years, and a few
million dollars in the bank, ago. Personally, I think those who wish to follow
in others footsteps should stay in school and eventually find an empty square,
that someone else has created, for their square mind to settle. For those who
wish to be the first to leave the footprints in the sand ( both in business
and on a real beach in the middle of nowhere ) then school may offer the right
environment to get you to a point in life where you have that sort of
opportunity. However, do not let the 'politically correct' society we live in
keep you from taking chances early on, believing in yourself or from finding a
way to do things differently even when 'they' say 'there is no other way'.
There is ALWAYS another way.

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adamilardi
It's like summer school. You can cut all year and go to summer school for 3
months and get the credit for the class. It's a band aid. You will be 10x
times smarter if you finish 4 years of high school as opposed to dropping out
in 10th grade and taking a test. That being said it's better than nothing.
Everyone deserves a chance to go to college.

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wisty
The question is then, if education isn't about learning stuff (which is what
the GED should test), then what is it about?

~~~
acon
Education is about learning to follow the rules of an society: coming to
school or work in time, sitting still and quiet while being bored for several
hours. You know, the important skills you need to be a good little worker bee.

~~~
noarchy
Being on time, and attendance, these seemed to get emphasized more than actual
performance when I was in high school. This reflects how some of my worst jobs
were, too.

~~~
tomjen3
Far be it for me to defend US high schools, but being on time is very much a
skill that people lack - and it so annoying, not to mention a sign disrespect
for the other peoples time, to be later for appointments.

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joshuacc
I took the GED since it was the easiest way of demonstrating to a state
university that I had a high-school level of education. (I was homeschooled.)

I wasn't too concerned about the test, since I'd scored in the 99th percentile
for the ACT. But I found the GED dramatically harder. Anyone else have this
experience?

