Learning Disabled

By Kate Garsombke
February 22, 2002 Issue

Article Tools
Print
Comments
RSS
N

RELATED CONTENT

ew York City teens, restless in classes and unable to pass standardized tests, are dropping out of high school in pursuit of their GEDs, reports Mark Greer of City Limits. Dropouts flocking to adult education centers have overcrowded the normally adult-oriented classes, GED program administrators complain, and classes have become too juvenile and distracting for learning.

Many kids are looking for certification to help make them employable, but to obtain a GED in New York, you must be at least 19 years old and one year removed from school or a former member of an already-graduated class. Still, the number of 16-, 17-, and 18-year-olds enrolled in GED preparatory classes has sharply increased in most programs. At Flatbush Development Corporation's GED program, the number of 16- and 17-year-old students doubled from 20 percent to 40 percent in 18 months. In another program, Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow, 17-year-olds comprise approximately 70 percent of the classes.

Programs like Flatbush have complained that younger students are difficult in the classroom because they lack mental and social maturity. Behavioral problems have prompted a few programs to exclude younger students because they lack the internal motivation that most adults have to get their GED. The younger students have intense needs that go far beyond education, says Greer. While a GED prep course may not be the best remedy for teens bored or frustrated by high school, Greggory Mitchell, a 15-year veteran of adult education, maintains the "kids are underrated." "The educational system doesn't put great emphasis on inspiring its students," he says.
--Kate Garsombke
Go there>>
RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print


Archived Comments

12072
MY COMMUNITY
MOST POPULAR


Pay Now & Save $6!
First Name: *
 Last Name: *
Address: *
 City: *
State/Province: *
 Zip/Postal Code:*
Country:
 Email:*


(* indicates a required item)
Canadian subs: 1 year, (includes postage & GST). Foreign subs: 1 year, . U.S. funds.
Canadian Subscribers - Click Here
Non US and Canadian Subscribers - Click Here

Want to gain a fresh perspective? Read stories that matter? Feel optimistic about the future? It's all here! Utne Reader offers provocative writing from diverse perspectives, insightful analysis of art and media, down-to-earth news and in-depth coverage of eye-opening issues that affect your life.

Save Even More Money By Paying NOW!

Pay now with a credit card and take advantage of our earth-friendly automatic renewal savings plan. You save an additional $6 and get 6 issues of Utne Reader for only $29.95 (USA only).

Or Bill Me Later and pay just $36 for 6 issues of Utne Reader!