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OUR STUDENTS NEED A POST SECONDARY EDUCATION
The stats tell us that 75% of future employees will need a post secondary education. The province of Ontario numbers show that only 50% of our students are successfully completing highschool.
I wanted to find out how are London high school students are doing and called Karen Dalton Executive Superintendent of Operations for Thames Valley District School Board. “The Research and Assessment Services has been tracking three cohorts of students who began the first year of secondary school in the 2001-2002, 2002-03 and 2003-2004. The four year success rates for these three cohorts were 60%, 62% and 63% . Approximately 40% of our students didn’t graduate from high school in four years.
The five year graduation rate for the first and second cohort were much better at 77% and 78%. Those students who stayed in school for five years seemed to do a whole lot better.
46% of our male students in the study graduated compared to 54% of females. Compare the college level high school students to university level and I wager that the success rate of the university level students is much higher.
When you check the numbers many of our students have opted not to rush out to work/apprenticeship or university. I wager, the Ontario Department of Education never planned on thousands of our high school students not wanting to leave the comfortable nest of their local high school. Many youngsters didn’t feel they were quite ready at the ripe old age of 17 to leave home and go away to college/university.
A good number of our graduating high school students opt to attend the community college of their choice. They hope that their secondary school education will open the doors to employment opportunities in the skilled trades.
Donna Derer, Manager of Institutional Research and Planning sent me an e mail on the success rate of Fanshawe students. She wanted us to know the facts: “Based on the most recent year available (Fall 2006) high school students with A/B in university or college stream math were relatively equal in terms of their success. However, students with C/D average in college level math were much less likely to be successful in college semester one.”
“Meanwhile, less then half of students with C/D marks in secondary school English were fully successful in their semester one. Fanshawe courses.” Please note the students did not have the grades to go on to semester two of the first year of studies. University level grade twelve secondary school students had the choice of applying to both college & or university.
Parents and students you are now aware of your chances of success rates when you attempt to succeed in college. Taking the Academic level courses in grade nine and ten leads to leads to University Level courses in grade eleven and twelve. Poor marks in the high school College level courses is a recipe for failure when you go to Fanshawe.
Secondary school graduation is a must for our children. To find meaningful employment in the future our youngsters will need post secondary education.
The Fanshawe College advertisement says it all: “By choosing Fanshawe College you’ve already put yourself ahead of the game... and with 92.7% of students getting a job within six months of graduation, we are sure that you won’t be disappointed.”
Folks, on line registration for grade nine to twelve takes place in the first week in February; please help your children make wise choices. They are your/our future.
Len Lesser