Dealing with all of it: Teen pregnancy issue is one of social ills that affect education

We can take some comfort in the fact that we weren’t as bad as our neighbors when the time came to figure out just how Wayne County is doing at controlling its teen pregnancy rate. We are 26th in the state. Many of them ranked much worse.

But that doesn’t mean we can sit back as a county and ignore that statistic, either, not if we are serious about getting more Wayne County students high school diplomas.

As we talk about improving school programs and facilities, we should also take a look at other factors. We might find some clues about what else we need to accomplish to make education a priority and a success in this community.

Teen pregnancy, troubled homes and other “at home” influences matter in a student’s ability to concentrate and to get the most out of school. And the sooner we face that fact, the better able we will be as a county to offer these troubled students the support they need that they might not be getting in a traditional manner.

Just as bricks and mortar do not make great schools, teachers alone cannot “fix” personal issues that begin in students’ homes. Education can help pull a student out of a bad life situation, but getting to school and taking advantage of the opportunity starts with parental involvement and personal desire to learn.

As we talk about our schools’ future, we might want to remember that for some of the students we want to help, the problem is much more than bricks, mortar and books.

Published in Editorials on March 6, 2007 1:06 PM