Anecdotal evidence is not a strong argument. That a few people do well without degrees does not change the fact that the vast majority of dropouts face dismal employment prospects. And besides, nobody is saying the students are stupid. The article and most comments are saying the schools in combination, probably, with many of the parents, and society, are failing the students, because Oregon ranks near the bottom at high school graduation rates and college preparedness. Presumably, the states and nations that are doing better are doing better not because of any genetic difference in their young people, but because of a different set of academic values and standards.