Almost Half of FCHS Graduates Not Going On to Post-Secondary Education, Says Superintendent

Franklin County School Superintendent Dr. Ruth O’Dell said almost half of those who graduate from Franklin County High School do not go on to some sort of post-secondary education.

Speaking Tuesday to the Franklin County Chamber O’Dell said of the top issues facing school systems, getting students into some sort of post-secondary education or training is a top priority.

She said the success of Franklin County students after high school is essential to the economic success of Franklin County.

O’Dell said with changes in the marketplace today, graduating from high school is not enough.

“We’re beginning to see that for this community and the lives of our young people, are we preparing them to do what they need to do after they get that diploma. The world has changed. It’s a small world after all. And the world has shrunk to the point where our kids are competing globally.” O’Dell said.

Despite that, Dr. O’Dell said of the 86% who got their high school diplomas last year, 51% go on to some sort of post-secondary education or training.

She said the real issues for Franklin County schools teachers and staff is the steady number of graduates who go nowhere.

“So that leaves about 49% of our kids who are not going anywhere. And that’s my real fear. And that’s been pretty steady for many years,” she said.

Another issue she said is of the 51% of students who do go on to post-secondary education, 20% need to take remedial classes to catch up with their peers.

That’s why Dr. O’Dell said new programs are in place, such as the College and Career Readiness Performance Index or CCRPI, to measure a students’ progress from elementary school through high school.

Students in Franklin County she said are now also put on Career Paths as early as elementary school to help them decide early on what they want to do in life and begin early to prepare for it.

Assessments are another area where changes are being made to better evaluate how well students are absorbing and learning the material.

She said students are now being held to higher standards in order to get them ready to compete later in life.

O’Dell said statistics show that U.S. schools are not doing a good enough job of preparing students to compete in a global economy and she outlined a number of initiatives the school system is implementing to help insure students are successful after they graduate.

According to Dr. O’Dell, by 2020 there will not be enough skilled workers available in jobs such as the trades, sales, drivers, and other areas – the very kinds of jobs readily available in our area.