“Working poor” is a term devoid of any real meaning or intrinsic value. Today’s poor aren’t serious about working by any leap of the imagination, if they were indeed serious, their fortunes would be dramatically different, beginning with their school career. Nonetheless, a new generation of “working poor” are emerging each and every day as more an more teens leave high school without a diploma.

The figures are alarming regardless of who you believe, where as some researchers argue the high school drop out rate hovers around 15-20%, others say its closer to 30%. In either case the numbers are far too high. Compare this with 9% in Canada or only 2% in Japan.

Across this country, tomorrow’s “working poor” are setting themselves up for inevitable failure. A life of minimum wage minimum skill jobs with little hope for advancement destined to die in poverty alone, worthless, underappreciated and having contributed nothing to the betterment of humanity. This is the life for today’s high school dropouts. In some communities the drop out rates even exceed the alarmingly high 30% mark.

Over the past 2 decades, researchers argue, the dropout rate has remained unchanged. This, in spite of numerous “stay in school” efforts and educational reform initiatives. Regardless of these government-centered, top down programs, the problem of teenagers dropping out of school remains fairly constant.

Researchers, politicians and educators all have theories on the continuing problem, and so too does the Phalanx, the problem is culture and an overwhelming disinterest in the value of education, coupled by the fact that today’s school’s barometers for achievement are so low a high school education has no more value than that of a junior high diploma 30 years ago.

For many parents, school is little more than a weigh station or baby sitter for their youngsters to get out of their hair. Many parents take little or no interest in the progress of their children. And when they do its to fight for frivolous things, like their child’s right to wear miniskirts in the 4th grade or confederate t-shirts. Where are these same parents when they are discussing curriculum at the monthly school board meetings? Nowhere to be seen, that’s where! These high school dropouts have been done a disservice by their parents who have failed to instill an appreciation for hard work, giving rise to the next entitlement generation.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/04/09/time.cover/index.html