America's future

America's colleges are respected worldwide. America's lower schools, on the other hand, compare most unfavorably.

This Rocky Mountain Times story captures some of the challenges and tribulations faced by high school students. It's got plenty of the human element to keep you moving through the story, but is also supported by a wealth of statistics and some bonafide statistical analysis.

Among the data cited is that the average dropout costs society about $200,000. MeTheSheeple remembers looking through some Georgia Department of Labor job offerings years ago and noticing that even forklift drivers had to be high school graduates. The fact that so very many Americans never make it out of high school is appalling, and is awful for their future and for the country's. Maybe the Rocky Mountain Times story can get more people thinking about these challenges -- and solving them. Either way, the package is worth a read.

The Rocky Mountain News story is one of the winners of the Casey Medals for Meritorious Journalism. MeTheSheeple guesses some of the other stories in the group are worth a read, too.