My proposal of how to improve school system and make pupils learn

I think that if your GPA falls below an acceptable average, you should be forced to stay after school to ensure that you do your homework.

Force n School is the problem, you can't force people to do things and expect positive results. On the other hand I remember a study from years ago that showed promising improvement when the students reading literature was replaced with Playboy.

There are a couple of issues that could derail this plan.

First, the problem starts well before high school. Many grade school no longer have "graduations." They now call them "promotions." Why? Simple. They can move anyone forward. When my nephew was in 8th grade he took a total of 18 classes that year (6 per semester) and he failed 15 of them. The only class he passed all year was PE. And he was moved on to high school.

As you point out, many of the graduates still are well under-educated. Going back to my nephew, late in his junior year he got expelled from school for having drugs on campus. Up until that point he had failed about 40% of his classes. They allowed him to finish 6 packets of "work" and turn them in (almost all of which his mom and girlfriend did for him) and he graduated, yet he reads, writes and does math at about a 5th or maybe 6th grade level.

So there would need to be a full revamping of our education system for starters in order to up the standards and quality.

Next, is the motivation. If you can't motivate a kid to go to school and do decently by telling them that this is how they are going to thrive in the future, do you think telling them they won't be able to get food stamps and welfare will motivate them? It might motivate a few, but most won't care.

Then some years later when they actually do need the help an can't get it they do what? Turn to crime is the likely answer.

I don't think the solution to welfare issues is trying to set up barriers to keep people off of it, but instead we should be focused on helping those who are on it get off of it and stay off of it.

Just my 2 cents.

They called them social promotions back in my day.

This was when a student was too old to be in that grade.

We had a 23 year old who dropped out and returned only to repeat his junior year 3 times until he was socially promoted only to do the same in his senior year. Yes he dropped out at 16 returned just before his 18th birthday and "Graduated" just before his 24th birthday

His failings were primarily from absenteeism, however if they would have tested him he could pass any test. He was finally given a diploma and "Graduated", he went on to run the best Auto Repair shop in our area until he was killed in a motorcycle wreck.

The Educational systems need to be overhauled and revamped for modern times. Make online learning available and we might have more graduates or at least keep more kids interested in learning. The way our students access learning needs to hold their attention.

Some adult in front of a class is not going to do it unless they all have shock collars and he has the button to shock them.

Interesting idea really. However, you cannot force kids to learn. Some are just beyond help.

I know one kid who is going to be a Freshman next year. She's already told everyone that her plan is do as little as she could for the next two years and then drop out. She is going with this plan because she "doesn't want to embarrass her mother". (Too late.)

I do like this idea, however. Makes a lot of sense.

However, what about people like me? I dropped out of high school but eventually went on to college to get two (small) degrees.

but what about those people who are born with below average intelligence, and simply end up liking toilets?

glad you are not in control! you dont understand the structure of towns cities and states. deny welfare crime will over run you! plus people that are slow in the mind are going to have a field day! lawyers would be dancing in the streets!

I think if you enable some of the people that are not going to school an alternative to conventional school, using modern technology, you could reach a bunch of them.

I have seen it happen in front of my eyes recently. Drop outs that would never go back to school studying for the GED exams online. Put it on a computer and not make a big deal out of it being learning and the results may open some eyes, on both sides of the equation, both students and educators.

I dropped out at 16 to work an apprenticeship (remember those?) for 24 months then got my GED and enrolled in a technical college. I earned my tuition during my apprenticeship then continued my education.

We should never stop learning as long as we are alive.

A guy I used to know told me about a restaurant in California - I think it was a fast food type of place - that only hired honor roll students, and remaining on the honor roll was a condition of employment. However, starting pay was significantly better than minimum wage. Apparently kids in that town were busting their asses to keep their grades up as it was the most lucrative job available to them.

Wow. This is unbelievable. How is that even possible? In any civilized country you must pass all classes and only then you are eligible to move to the next grade...
And in US you pass only 3 of 18 and still get to the next grade?
Shocking news to me... This one thing explains EVERYTHING. Simply unbelievable.

My brother just assumed he would have to 8th grade over again (which is how it used to be), but he was told by the school that they will only hold a student back if the parents request it and his wife (my brother is the stepfather to this kid) insisted that he move on because she didn't want his friends making fun of him.

Much of this can be traced to Bush's No Child Left Behind. One of the provisions of it is that schools with higher graduation or "promotion" rates can get more money so many grade school now just promote everyone no matter what your grades are.