Don’t trust vouchers, raise the national dropout rate: Second Look

Letter to the editor:

Don’t be fooled by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos’ promise: that by giving vouchers to parents so they can choose a particular school for their children, kids from poor families, especially minorities, would be the primary beneficiaries. Those parents don’t likely have the funds to make sure their children can travel to those “better” schools, nor do many of them have the motivation to take advantage of such an opportunity. The real people who will benefit from her plan are middle- and upper-class parents who see this as a way to send their children to private schools, compliments of the government! DeVos should channel her efforts into making public schools better able to meet the needs of all students.

Karen DeVos (No relation); South Haven, Mich.

Letter to the editor:

Kids usually go to school until the age of 18. Now, in many states the age required to drop out of school differs. In some states, it’s fully OK for a 16-year-old to drop out. A teenager who is only 16 is not even considered an adult. The national graduation rate in recent years has been about 80%, and it’s moving up. The national dropout rate is 25%. Students should be given the choice to drop out only at the age of 18 when they’re likely already in their last year of high school and will most likely graduate.

Deeherling Castillo; Mundelein, Ill.