Qualifying article on Drop-out Crisis in Michigan

I am from Michigan and partial to education topics since I work in K-12 education (educational technology). I found this opinion by Kimberly Sams-Smith in The Detroit News about how “Michigan must tackle dropout crisis.”

Sams-Smith writes:

As Chrysler, Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. continue to cut white-collar and factory jobs and start two-tier wage structures, one thing is crystal clear: High-paying factory jobs requiring only a high school diploma are ancient history. That is why concentrating on ways to increase Michigan's high school and, ultimately, college graduation rates is critical.

The results of a recent study conducted by Johns Hopkins University is the latest cause for alarm. The study, which analyzed U.S. Department of Education enrollment data from 2003-2006, identified 78 Michigan high schools as "dropout factories," where no more than 60 percent of students who enter as ninth-graders make it to 12th grade.

Johns Hopkins researcher Robert Balfanz says the harsh term dropout factory describes "a harsh and unfair situation, under-resourced and over-challenged high schools which educate primarily low income and minority students and year after year are unable to graduate the majority or near majority of students who enter the school."
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Later in the article she uses clearly identifiable scripture to reinforce her point that something must be done to curb the drop-out epidemic in Michigan high schools— “No wonder the Bible at Hosea 4:6 says: ‘My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.’”

Sams-Smith’s call to social action is strong and draws attention to a growing crisis, and her inclusion of scripture qualifies her article for the Amy Writing Awards.

Good job, Kimberly.