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Debate Info

26
47
Yes, it is the basics! No, some people don't care!
Debate Score:73
Arguments:30
Total Votes:97
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Argument Ratio

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 Yes, it is the basics! (12)
 
 No, some people don't care! (18)

Debate Creator

kirstie1126(480) pic



Should high school graduation be mandatory in the US?

Would this solve any problems in society
Public High School Graduation Rates (www.higheredinfo.org)

Yes, it is the basics!

Side Score: 26
VS.

No, some people don't care!

Side Score: 47

The goal of our US education system is that at least a GED should be received by all members of our society.

There are reasons why some one might need to leave high school, but eventually they should return to finish because "...the reality that, today, some form of postsecondary education is imperative for the jobs and wages associated with even a lower-middle class lifestyle. There are many factors that can help students become better prepared for postsecondary education, but first and foremost they need to complete high school."

Tom Mortenson: Postsecondary Opportunity http://www.postsecondary.org

Measuring Up: The State-by-State Report Card http://www.highereducation.org

Side: Yes, it is the basics!
beevbo(296) Disputed
3 points

While there is no doubt that a higher standard of education would be a positive for any society, the idea that there should be a minimum standard of education reached makes little sense, in part because it is difficult to understand how it would be enforced.

Do you say "you can only work in our county if you've graduated high school" and then watch unemployment soar? Do you give the population a monetary incentive to finish? You get "X" amount of dollars if you finish high school, all at the expense of tax payers? Maybe you hire Alex Trebek to hang around high school drop outs asking them question after question until they either decide to finish high school . . . or kill Alex. Both good.

I'd hate to point this out, but the uneducated tend to do a lot of the jobs the rest of us wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. It sounds cruel, but someone's got to do those jobs. Certainly you give every person the best opportunity for a high level of education, but if people choose monkey work for a living, that's there business, and the rest of us should probably be grateful they do.

Side: No, some people don't care!
1 point

Yes, I think that all children should be required to obtain at least a High School Diploma (or equivalent). Education is the fundamental base upon which a lifetime is built, and not having the proper foundation has been proven time and time again to lower the prospects of an individual's life. Allowing children to drop out of school is a recipe for a life of underachievement.

Side: Yes, it is the basics!
2 points

I completely agree. A high school education should be compulsory. From the perspective of giving children the best shot in life as possible, you can think of a high school education like a vaccine.

Side: Yes, it is the basics!
sparsely(498) Disputed
-1 points

Our school system is designed to indoctrinate, not educate. We "teach" rote memorization, authoritarianism, and nationalism. It reinforces social class stratification and conformity.

The only reason not having an "education" lowers job prospects is because of corporatism.

Side: No, some people don't care!
mjwhite1(33) Disputed
1 point

The reason not having an education lowers job prospects is because people don't have the knowledge or skills to complete their work tasks.

If you don't have basic math and reading skills you're unemployable because you can't do the work and that has nothing to do with corporatism.

Side: Yes, it is the basics!

Yes, people that don't graduate usually end up, as Kirstie1126 puts it,

typing like an idiot:

For example:

- their, there, they're

- RanDOm leTTERs in CapItALizATion

- putting extra letters onto words is soooooooooooo lame

Side: Yes, it is the basics!
1 point

I think that it should be mandatory to graduate from high school.

Side: Yes, it is the basics!
1 point

I am doing a paper on this for a persuasive essay. It shouldn't matter if they want to do school or not, it will PREPARE them for whats coming up next. After they have a proper education, they are more likely to go somewhere with their life because they were "forced" to learn all this knowledge. Why not give everyone a better shot at a more successful life if we can?

Side: Yes, it is the basics!
0 points

The problem I have is when these students make the choice to drop out and then expect the rest of society to take care of them as this report states:

- High school dropouts are likely to stay on public assistance longer than those with at least a high school degree.

- more likely to live in poverty and to receive government assistance.

- more likely to become involved in crime.

Supporting Evidence: High School Dropout Rates (www.childtrendsdatabank.org)
Side: Yes, it is the basics!
0 points

Buncha flippin luuzrs

Side: Yes, it is the basics!
abcian1(67) Disputed
1 point

Did you see hakunamatada's answer? {the guy above me.} The people who don't graduate are quote " buncha flippin luuzers" is short, sweet, and to the point.. Kids these days have to want to do good in school. When your in high school it goes by very fast. Teens need to stop and think about what they want to do with their life after high school. Many kids get to their senior year and say something along the lines of "shit!. its my senior year and i don't know what i want to do with my life. " and that is when they are officially screwed.

Side: No, some people don't care!
6 points

"High school graduation" shouldn't be mandatory, but GED or a diploma will both take you places.

The reception of the GED in the workplace and in colleges and universities is roughly the same. Many see the GED as equivalent to a high school diploma.

According to the GED Testing Service, www.acenet.edu, 'More than 95 percent of U.S. employers consider GED graduates the same as traditional high school graduates in regard to hiring, salary and opportunity for advancement.'

About.com notes that employees with diplomas generally earn significantly more than those without. Similarly, most students admitted to college have earned high school diplomas, although this does not guarantee acceptance.

If a student continues on to college, however, one typically does not consider which one has earned. Diplomaguide.com notes that most community colleges admit students who have earned a GED, but individual universities set their own policies.

So, it really depends on where you want to go with your career. If your intention is getting a Bachelors, employers won't even consider your GED in their hiring decision. If you don't plan on higher education, a GED may be the fastest way to career or on-the-job training.

Of course, the real difference is in emotional, mental, and intellectual development. A 19-year-old high school graduate applying for a job is likely to trump a 16-year-old with a GED merely on account of maturity and experience.

Supporting Evidence: Education Portal Website (education-portal.com)
Side: No, some people don't care!

There are many people who have gone on to do things with out a high school diploma. They're a minority, but they exist. Should it be mandatory? No of course not. People should have the liberty to opt out (and opt back in if they reconsider) of public education.

Side: No, some people don't care!
5 points

What would be the penalty for someone who doesn't get their diploma should it become mandatory? Do we penalize teachers who don't pass enough students? Do we force adults to stay in high school until they complete their degree? Who pays for this and who subsidizes the students while they are in school as adults?

Forcing everyone to get a high school diploma is not feasible.

Side: No, some people don't care!
2 points

These are some GREAT questions that would need to be addressed if high school graduation was to be mandatory. I don't think that in most cases it is the teacher's fault! I also am not sure who should pay for the education of these adults who need to stay in high school for 5+ years.

Side: No, some people don't care!
Hairchrm(25) Disputed
0 points

It is feasible, it is called compulsory education. Similar to how elementary school students must go to school, compulsory education is possible for high school students as well. All that needs to be done is a law is passed that until one graduates high school they must stay in school.

We are not arguing feasibility in this debate. The topic is "should high school graduation be mandatory", not how we do it. The word should shows that we are not considering how it would be passed, merely should we pass it.

Side: Yes, it is the basics!
shunted(139) Disputed
3 points

We have compulsory education right now but the lawmakers were insightful enough to know that beyond a certain age it isn't feasible to force people to go to school. You say 'all that needs to be done', and thus it is quite clear you haven't really thought about the consequences. How are you going to force a 20 year old to stay in school. Will school be a prison that they can't physically leave until they graduate? If not, who is going to make sure they go? Does a police officer show up in the morning and physically force an adult to go to school? The statement you made, 'all that needs to be done' is way too simplistic.

Feasibility is part of the debate because if it isn't feasible then it shouldn't be done.

Side: No, some people don't care!
3 points

There are many factors that might play into someone dropping out of school, be it mental illness, physical sickness, peer pressure, bullying, or dozens of other causes, some legitimate and some not. Forcing someone to remain in school until achieving graduation may not be the best thing for that person. It is their responsibility as an adult to realize the mistake and remedy it - not ours.

Not only is there absolutely no way to enforce something so ridiculous, but we shouldn't try to. The government is forcing it's way into the lives of basically cognizant adults enough already, don't you think?

Side: No, some people don't care!
3 points

I think that a key point to consider here is that the majority of high school students are under the age of 18, which means they are not legal adults.

As a society, we have drawn a line in the sand at age 18 - those younger do not have all the same rights and freedoms as those 18 years old or older. Every adult in the United States has the right to choose their own destiny, make their own mistakes and live their own life. They also are held responsible for the choices they make. However, as a society, we feel that it is the best interests of those younger than 18 years old to be protected from themselves, because they more often lack the judgment required to make decisions that are in their long-term best interests. The specific age of 18 is arbitrary, however, I think most would agree that children do not have the capacity to make decisions for themselves and therefore must be protected. Having a cut off date such as 18, while not natural, is a good solution for deciding who is an adult and who is not.

To answer the central question of the debate, No I do not think high school graduation should be made mandatory. However, I do think it is important that we make attendance in school mandatory until the age of 18 years old. Since most students are 17-18 years old when they graduate, a mandatory attendance policy until that age would greatly encourage graduation without making graduation mandatory. In the case of a student who has and early birthday or fallen behind their peers and won't be able to graduate high school until over the age of 18, they would have the option to quit at any point after their 18th birthday, because it would be their right as an adult citizen of the United States to choose to attend school or not.

A policy of this nature satisfies both the need to increase overall graduation rates across the U.S.A while also respect the rights of age of majority adults who are free to make their own decisions. GED programs, of course, would remain in tact, meaning no one is ever left with out a chance to complete high school no matter their age.

What do you think?

Side: No, some people don't care!
1 point

I think this is the best proposal I've heard yet.

Side: No, some people don't care!
sparsely(498) Disputed
1 point

lol...so, you're advocating the same system we have now?

Most states won't allow you to drop out without until you've reached the age of consent (17 in texas). You'll only be forestalling the inevitable by a couple of years.

Side: No, some people don't care!
1 point

If they can get by without it, then all the power to them, however, it should be made more attractive to graduate.

Side: No, some people don't care!
1 point

there is importance in highschool.. its good for stuctural basis and teaches you in life you can never do what you want to do. a person like me richard monty goes to school every day dreading it. not because i cant do it because its boring i understand what school is for but when i go and dont learn anything i dont want to go. i get bored i get introuble and plus a highschool education shouldnt determine the job you. what should determine the job you get is how you perform on the job.. i have some of the most creative ideas in the world some of them only make since to me but some of them could make me rich...the way i percieve things from going to school is about making every one else happy but your self.. i need to talk to som one who can help me with the thoughts i process i feel like im going crazy some one who can truley help me call me please..... 16037079868.... theres more so please contact me

Side: No, some people don't care!
AZ777(1) Disputed
1 point

No offense to you, but what you just wrote supported the opposite side rather than yours. There are so many grammatical flaws, it shows why you really should stay in school.

Side: Yes, it is the basics!
0 points

Well afte you are done with school it should eb your choice graduate wth all your classmates or sjut get your diploma. The ahrd aprt is being i nfront of a lot of epole and not messing anything up and getting embarresed.

Side: nope your choice