Education Meltdown: Our Future in Peril

By Natasha L. Foreman, MBA

The U.S. is in an educational state of emergency. Across the nation our children are dropping out of high school at staggering rates. According to website dosomething.org, 1.2 million students drop out of high school every year. That means every 26 seconds a student is dropping out – that's 6,000 students per day!

If the majority of jobs require possession of a high school diploma or G.E.D. then what paths are young adults choosing to earn a living and how does that impact our society and economy? Life is already challenging enough, not being equipped with adequate education creates a situation where "can't" and "impossible" become words that our children hear and begin to say on a consistent basis.

What can we as individuals do to save our children and our nation?

Become volunteers through local schools and organizations to help those who are at-risk of falling into this statistical abyss through tutoring and mentoring- even if for only a few hours per month. Organizations like Boys & Girls Club, Operation HOPE, Big Brothers and Big Sisters; and hundreds more are all in need of committed volunteers.

We can help by encouraging those who have decided to walk away from school(oftentimes to get jobs to help out their family), to seek an alternative to traditional schooling through programs that can assist them with earning their high school diploma or G.E.D. that way they are self-empowered and in a better position to become self-sufficient. We can help by starting at home, the place that is oftentimes most neglected and overlooked; turning to the children in our own families to see in what ways we can help them achieve their dreams and reach their goals.

If we can spare a few hours each week to shop for things we sometimes don't even need- we have a few hours to spend with our youth. If we have a few hours to spend surfing the Internet and chatting away on social media sites, we have a few hours to devote to a community in need.

What part will you play in the future of our country?

Natasha L. Foreman, MBA is a Business and Entertainment Consultant, Certified Personal Fitness Trainer, and Blogger. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Organization and Management with a specialization in Management Education, and a certificate in College Teaching. Natasha has been involved in various philanthropic and grassroots movements for over 20 years. She is actively involved in her community, visiting and speaking with students at local K-12 schools throughout Metro Atlanta, Georgia and Orange County, California.

Natasha can be reached via email at natasha@natashaforeman.info,through her Paradigm Life blog at paradigmlife.blogspot.com , or you can follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/natashaforeman