[fight_truth_decay]

Congress and the Obama administration are now putting together an education bill. It would cancel about $9 billion in annual government subsidies for banks that lend to college students and use much of the money to increase financial aid. A small portion of the money would be set aside for promising pilot programs aimed at lifting the number of college graduates

[furquhart]

Yes. This is a solid idea.

[rawhide]

I can undetstand 1 year early, but 2 years seems out of line to me.

[dawn53]

Many states already have similar programs, but you don’t graduate early, you actually graduate and get your AA at the same time. College courses count for both high school and college credit. I think the school board covers the tuition of the student (which is A LOT cheaper than what it costs to keep a kid in regular HS for a year.)

http://www.spcollege.edu/central/de/index.htm

[Publius6961]

High Schools to Offer Plan to Graduate 2 Years Early

LOL!
They are already doing that!

But they call it a High School diploma anyway, graduating equivalent 9th graders.

[Tax-chick]

Excellent plan. If a student can demonstrate the knowledge the system believes is essential, he should be able to get a diploma at any age, and then go to work or college.

[hinckley buzzard]

The fact is, we as a society have been stretching the age of adolescence over the years. In the 18th and 19th centuries it was not uncommon for a fifteen/sixteen year old to go to college if he was prepared academically. Back then we had little concept of "adolescence." We had kids and we had adults. It worked pretty well.

There is a good case to be made that by entertaining people in a suspended state through their late teens as "adolescents" we merely delay their maturation and development.

For some it will remain a reasonable acommodation. But if someone can master the prerequisites, why not have the option to get on with it.

[DoughtyOne]

Folks, for heaven’s sake give this more thought.

We have kids today who are graduating from high school totally unprepared to continue on to higher education, and you folks think the resolution to this is to cut two grades out from under our high school students.

Why do you think this plan is being lofted? Is it to better the education system by 16.66%, or is it to cut the cost of educating our children by 16.66%?

In effect we’re dropping the age of adulthood by two years. If you graduate from high school when you’re fifteen to sixteen, then how can we claim kids are not adults until 18?

If a kid can graduate at 15, then they’ll be able to go out on their own as kids who graduate high school today do. By sixteen many of these kids will opt to go to work, leave home and get an apartment, like high school graduates do today.

If you think that portends for a better society, you’re not playing with a full deck.

[longtermmemmory]

how far is it from graduating two years early into charging for graduating later?

[ktscarlett66]

My older son would probably have done well testing out at age 15 or 16 and starting college early. While I can’t boast that he was a wiz-kid who started college at age 12, he did start at 18, has maintained good grades, finished at community college and promptly enrolled at UD. He commutes an hour each way (to save money from living on campus), works PT, has helped pay for his car, insurance and personal expenses over the past 6 years. He plans on being a psychologist, working in private practice for awhile and then would like to participate in research and studies some day. He’s right where he should be, for his age and has done tremendously well.

My younger son, well, I’m sure he would have liked to get out of school early but he’s a ‘doer’, not a thinker. To plunge him into college at 16 would have been disasterous, not to mention a waste of money. He’s a smart kid but knows he’s not scholarly and is looking at a career where he can ‘do’ something (electrical work, carpentry, plumbing). He’s more technical and recognizes he won’t do well in an office setting.

[goldi]

Article in today’s “Bergen Record”. The town over from me. Very well-to-do, bright 8th grade kids. A teacher offered a course in philosophy, at 7:30 in the morning. Eighth graders getting 2 community collge credits in philosophy.

[Kevmo]

I’ve been saying something like this for several years.

___________________________________________________________________

Here’s my modest proposal for education reform — skip high school altogether.

We have been discussing ways to fast track kids through high school to avoid the liberal agenda and other idiocies:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1315730/posts?page=84#84

Proposal for the Free Republic High School Diploma.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1316882/posts

___________________________________________________________________

[Clock King]

Stupid idea. Kids need those few years to gather maturity. Sounds like a socialist plan to further the dumbing down of the populace.