Army Gets Fewer High School Grads in '07

[babylonsister]

Army Gets Fewer High School Grads in '07

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: January 22, 2008

Filed at 7:31 a.m. ET


WASHINGTON (AP) -- The percent of Army recruits with a high school diploma dropped last year, continuing a trend that has worsened since the start of the Iraq war, according to a report released Tuesday.

National Priorities Project, a research group that analyzes federal data, found that nearly 71 percent of Army recruits graduated from high school in the 2007 budget year. It based its findings on data it obtained from the Defense Department through a Freedom of Information Act request.

All troops must have a high school diploma or an equivalent degree. The military prefers that they have a high school diploma because its studies have shown they are more likely to finish an enlistment term. Still, the Army has paid for some recruits to take GED preparation classes and take the test.

The Army's goal is 90 percent high school graduates, which it hasn't met since 2004. Each year since, the number of recruits with at least a high school diploma has steadily declined.

Douglas Smith, spokesman for the Army Recruiting Command at Fort Knox, Ky., acknowledged it has been a difficult recruiting environment. He said overall high school graduation rates are declining, which could be a factor.

Strained, in part, by military operations in Afghanistan following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the military has had to increase the number of waivers and raise enlistment bonuses to fill its ranks.

more...

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Military-Recruiting.html

[unhappycamper]

1. Here's a few December threads about waivers in the military.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=259&topic_id=7791
--> http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=259&topic_id=8168

[opihimoimoi]

2. And here I thought the reason for the HS drop was more college grads enlisting

Death has become a hard sell for the Military?

[catmandu57]

3. It's an economic draft

People who don't graduate from high school are very limited in their employment paths, the military offers a way out for these kids.

[TheUniverse]

4. Is that because the more intelligent someone is, the less likely they want to go Iraq?

I'm of military age, and there is no way in hell I'd join the army.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

5. Who says the schools aren't doing their job?

They seem to be producing some pretty bright kids if they're smart enough to stay out of the military.