At Benson there are a total of 695 students off track for graduation; 144 of those are off course by just one class. That number is more than half of all the students in the building.
Our school is full of resources and measures to aid students in credit recovery and tutoring, but it seems to not be enough.
The administration has acted on the issue with the implementation of Focus Fridays; hall sweeps and rewards students for good attendance with special lunchtime privileges.
We believe that students are not realizing the importance of not receiving a diploma. A diploma is a requirement for most jobs past entry level position; a lack of motivation now should not need to be the reason someone struggles once they reach adulthood.
There are a lot of reasons a student may fall behind in school; lack of ambition or no support behind them.
Being a high school graduate is the launch point for most young adults. Foregoing that achievement to be lazy or join the workforce is not a fair trade off in most cases.
Yes, most people procrastinate, but when it gets to the point where more than half the students are not on course to succeed, it becomes a monumental issue.
Falling behind in one class is the start of the avalanche for most students. It begins to snowball, eventually turning into failing multiple classes and missing credits.
As students, the problem is ours to solve. Staying in class, making use of study halls, tutoring and following up with teachers about assignments are all steps in the right direction.
Educators and administration must manage hundreds of students; they cannot be the only ones keeping students accountable. Students need to support themselves and each other to strive for success.
Following up with your peers and setting short term goals are the habits students need to promote in their social circles to start tackling the problems at hand.
It is not going to be an overnight fix, but with effort and care we can strive to increase the graduation rate to 70%
As a collective effort, we can begin to drive the rate higher. As a true representation of all the qualities and amenities Benson offers.