But I thought teachers weren't doing their job? Once again a demonstration of Utah teachers giving alot of BANG for the little BUCKS!

I teach at one of the schools on the list. The 100% graduation rate at Skyline is truly to be lauded.

The schools on the list fall into three categories:
1. Charter schools with small, selective enrollment (they don't admit those students who are likely to drop out).

2. Small rural schools (Manila, Rich, Valley, Green River etc.) which have very low numbers of LEP (Limited English Proficiency) students, as well as the other advantages conveyed by small schools: small student to teacher ratio, small cohesive student body, teachers who know the students personally.

3. Skyline HS, which is the anomaly here. Skyline is a medium-sized urban school, where 100% graduation rates are rare.

Only when large schools with large LEP/ELL populations approach a 100% graduation rate can we declare success. One way to achieve this is to reduce the size of large urban schools.

In the midst of the call for change in our nation�s educational system, the officials out in New Hampshire have come up with an idea all their own, which is to push high-schoolers to graduate by 10th grade, or at least some of them. The proposed program will create board exams that students can sit for by the end of their sophomore year, and those that pass can move on to community college or technical schools. However, are 16 year olds really prepared to handle those kinds of responsibilities at that age? Most of us are barely prepared enough by 18, let alone the age we were when we finally graduated. A 16 year old trying to navigate the murky waters of higher education and its burden of tuition, textbooks, and transportation costs is difficult to imagine, and they don�t need to grow up any faster. If they fell short, and didn�t have parental help to rely on, they wouldn�t be old enough to get payday loans if they needed one to cover school costs.