Dr. Rex's graduation message

There is plenty of blame to go around when you consider why one out of four students in South Carolina doesn't graduate on time.

There are school systems that let children get into high school without being able to read beyond an elementary school level.

There are teenagers who get pregnant and drop out of school.

There are parents whose own educations are inadequate and who can't help their children with homework.

There are parents who could help, but who choose simply to neglect their children's education.

There are students who get part-time jobs so they can buy cars and then quit school to work more hours to pay for insurance and gas.

There are children who fall behind academically, give up and drop out.

And there are children who simply don't try.

For one reason or another, the result is that 26.7 percent of the students in our schools don't graduate on time. The percentage is higher than that in Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester 4 districts.

Some of those students won't graduate at all. South Carolina should be educating these students, too, to prepare them for the working world.

State Superintendent of Education Jim Rex describes some of the state's initiatives today in a column on our Commentary page.

They include identifying and helping students at risk of dropping out, providing on-line learning and involving parents in developing an education plan for each child.

Notably, he doesn't say what educators have said for too long — that systemic changes will take years, and that citizens should just be patient.

To the contrary, Dr. Rex says, "South Carolina's on-time graduation rate ... is among the most urgent problems facing our state in terms of both human potential and future prosperity."

Our recent reports on reading problems in Charleston County schools cited the experience of Ridge Smith, who made it all the way to the ninth grade in Charleston County schools while reading at a third-grade level. Patience isn't the answer to that kind of problem.

Since then, our reporter Diette Courrege also has reported on new reading programs, and Dr. Nancy McGinley, Charleston County school superintendent, has emphasized her commitment to ensure that students get fundamental learning experiences.

How much easier the schools' task would be if all parents were willing and able to work in cooperation with their children's teachers.

But schools can't always wait for that to happen. They must deal with the students who are enrolled, whatever their problems.

The graduation figures cited by Dr. Rex offer more evidence that South Carolina must find ways to improve the quality and delivery of education in public schools.