>>My daughter is 17 and a senior in highschool. There are 18, 19, and even 20 year olds in her school! (The effect of 'no child left behind.')
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>Pad'me ma'm, but they don't look like children to me, and they look like they were left behind.


They no longer allow kids to graduate who had failing grades or too many missed days. (you can can only miss 9 days now or you fail regardless of your academic level) They just keep them in school (if the child is willing) until eventually they earn enough credits to graduate. The problem is, they don't put any additional effort into teaching them.

When I was in school (I attended schools in Wisconsin, Colorado, and Oregon), almost every single teacher I had was willing to spend extra time with kids who either needed more attention to learn or who excelled and needed additional challenges. Not so today. You can get additional help if the teacher is willing, and usually only if you are willing to pay for it.