New DOE Program to Boost Grad Rates: Tweeting for Credit Recovery

There has been a lot of criticism over the credit recovery program where high school students short on credits to graduate can spend a little time copying and pasting from on-line encyclopedias to make up these credits and receive a quickie diploma before entering a remediation program in college.

Despite these tricks, when you take the kids pushed into phony GED programs or into trade schools disguised as legit transfer schools into account, the grad rates haven't budged all that much and may even be dropping. What is needed is a way to help boost the graduation rates and raise the standings of poor Mayor Bloomberg whose poll numbers as the education mayor have been dropping almost as fast as the scandals coming down on his head.

Really, why make the students come into school at all? Why not just let them tweet their way to a high school diploma – in 140 characters. Or less. And if they can do it in less, let's toss in some extra credits for being thrifty.

Tweed jumped at my idea and is even having a contest for the best credit recovery tweets.

Here is the leading tweet candidate so far, worth 3 social studies credits and exemption from the American history regents exam: GWash cut dwn chrry tree, bad boy.

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Social Note

Murry Bergtraum CL John Elfrank sent this wonderful photo. Guess the location and win a front row seat at the April 28 PEP meeting at Prospect Heights HS.