Army Opens Prep School for Dropouts

[unhappycamper]

Army Opens Prep School for Dropouts
August 27, 2008
Associated Press

FORT JACKSON, S.C. - Austin Swarner left high school to care for his mother while she fought a losing battle with cancer. Tony Brown wanted to begin supporting himself and left two classes shy of a diploma. Haelee Holden got tired of trying to make it through school while flipping burgers until 1 a.m.

But , doesn't see them as dropouts. They are recruits who only need a GED before they're ready to begin basic training.

And so, the Army formally opens its first prep school Wednesday.

"It's academic immersion," explained Col. Jeffrey Sanderson, chief of staff at Fort Jackson, home of the Army's largest basic training school. "Our studies show that with only three out of every 10 people of military age being capable of joining the Army, we are going to have to do something different."

That includes turning six World War II-era buildings at the base into a mini-campus of spartan classrooms and barracks. Under the yearlong pilot project, classes of about 60 soldiers will enter the monthlong program every week.


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/news/article/army-opens-prep-school-for-dropouts.html

[Captain Hilts]

1. I think this is a great idea. The drop out rate among some groups is too high...

and, God I hated high school.

This could be a great opportunity for some kids and a nightmare for others. In the civilian world, the odds stacked against them are far greater.