Why Do High School Dropouts Make Less Money?

This week Education Week released its first annual report on graduation rates across the nation. The report contains descriptions of each state's graduation rates and the rates in our nation's fifty largest school districts. It also considers the financial costs of not obtaining a high school diploma. Individuals who do not complete high school earn less money than high school graduates. Lynn Olson writes,"In an increasingly competitive global economy, their chances of earning a living wage are grim. In 2003, high school graduates earned, on average, 34 percent more than those without a high school diploma. College graduates made a whopping 132 percent more." I can't help but wonder why this is the case.

Many might argue that when you don't graduate from high school you don't learn knowledge and skills that are essential to the work world. Many high school graduates can't read. Many can't solve simple math problems. They certainly don't know social studies or science. Without knoweldge and skills employees have smaller earnings potential.

Though this argument makes sense, I'm not sure that I accept it. Many high school graduates lack important knowledge and skills. I've taught pre-service teacher education courses in which some students could barely write a coherent sentence. Many high school dropouts can read and compute math problems. I'm simply not convinced that the earnings potential has a direct correlation to the knowledge and skills learned in high schools.

Perhaps I'm a bit cynical, but perhaps this earnings potential is related to how well you can play a game. The game is life. Two characteristics are esential for winning at this game: savviness and persistence. Savvy kids know how to get through school. They know how to get passing grades in classes even when they can't do the work. This often requires telling the teacher what the he/she wants to hear. At other times it requires smiling and sitting quietly. Savvy people know how to get jobs and earn incomes. This requires telling the boss what he/she wants to hear and sitting quietly at other times. Persistent people recognize that when they fail to get what they want the first time they should try and try again. Indeed they do try until they get what they want. This does not necessarily mean that they try until they get it right. Persistent students will do what it takes to get a passing grade, even when they don't receive it the first time. They will eventually graduate. Persistent employees will do what it takes to fulfill their responsibilities. Perhaps high school dropouts earn less money because they lack savviness and persistence.

I'm not so sure that this explanation of the reason that high school dropouts earn less money should reflect negatively on American public schools. After all aren't savviness and persistence important characteristics? Has a successful business ever been started by somebody who wasn't savvy and persistent? Would you rather have a book smart person work for you or somebody who is savvy and persistent?

Perhaps another blog entry should consider how the standards movement is going to change all of this.