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Letters To The Editor

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 10, 2007

Students Left Behind

Regarding "Report Criticizes U.S. High Schools As 'Dropout Factories' " (Nation/World, Nov. 2):

Living in Florida, land of the FCAT, my daughter, at 16, was a victim of the "perverse incentive" to encourage students to drop out "before they bring down a school's score." After failing the FCAT several times, the guidance department met with me and told me "to stop beating my head against the wall" and let my daughter drop out. I am a school teacher and I can't tell you how angry I was and still am that they would encourage my daughter to do so.

After I shared my story with others, I was surprised how many other students were encouraged to do the same thing. Florida calls it the "No Child Left Behind Education Law," but I feel my daughter has been left behind to try to make it in a world where a person without a high school diploma is looked down on.

I am a remedial reading resource teacher and I took this position because I want to help as many children as I can become graduates rather than dropouts. An education should be encouraged, not discouraged.

JOAN LoBIANCO

Spring Hill

The Parent Factor

Florida's school dropout rate is created by a lot of things. I know of a case where a family law judge was aware of a child's truancy and didn't lift a finger to stop it. The child's truancy caused a driver's license suspension. If the state suspends a truant's license, why doesn't it suspend the parent's driver's license? After all, a suspension occurs if a non-custodial parent falls behind in child support. Or is child support the only relevant factor the state considers?

JOHN LOWE

Largo

Broad-Brush Comments

Regarding Steve Otto's "Check The Math On 'DropOut Factories' " (Metro, Nov. 4) and the quote, "The numbers also say something about parents and families where education is not so much a value to be respected as it is a dumping ground of responsibility":

Otto has made a broad-brush attack against parents based on a few isolated incidents that we do not have all of the information on. There are thousands of parents who have dedicated their lives to their children and work diligently for their best interests.

RICHARD HANCOCK

Lithia

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