High School Drop-Out Reduction

Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) is a state-based national non-profit organization dedicated to preventing dropouts among young people who are most at-risk. Mullins High School is a 100% free lunch qualified school where students look for encouragement. Mullins High School adopted this program to develop leadership skills and soft skills that are essential for our students to be prepared for college and career ready. As an intern, I take this opportunity to determine the support provided by these extra-curricular programs in achieving the vision of the institution. Mullins High school is blessed to have Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) program. The program coordinator Ms. T is proud of her student members and their highly supportive parents.

Without a doubt, black men in the United States continue to be excessively “incarcerated, policed, and sentenced to death at significantly higher rates than their white counterparts (Kerby 2).” Portrayals in the media have depicted black men as thugs and common criminals; these negative stereotypes demoralize men of color and allow society to believe and internalize this destructive thinking. The racial disparities that exist in the criminal justice system are an indirect consequence of the portrayals of African American men that circulate in society. Because of racial disparities that occur in the United States it consequently threatens communities of color by “disenfranchising thousands by limiting voting rights and denying equal access to employment, housing, public benefits, and education to millions more (Kerby 2).”

America has the largest justice system in the world. America also has the highest incarceration rate with over 2 million people in prison. African Americans account for approximately 40 percent of those inmates. Why is the incarceration rate so high for young black males? By examining the data and demographics, and the causes and consequences a greater understanding will be gained as to why these disparities exist.

Many problems are facing African American males. Few people are knowledgeable of the disparity between African American males and females as it relates to incarceration, homicide, suicide, alcoholism, and many other ailments (p. 9).

The next article by The Huffington Post has many shocking statistics. 1 of every 4 African American males born this decade can expect to go to prison in his lifetime. According to the

Today's education is often viewed as failing in its goal of educating students, especially those students characterized as minorities, including African American, Hispanic, and Appalachian students (Quiroz, 1999). Among the minority groups mentioned, African American males are affected most adversely. Research has shown that when Black male students are compared to other students by gender and race they consistently rank lowest in academic achievement (Ogbu, 2003), have the worst attendance record (Voelkle, 1999), are suspended and expelled the most often (Raffaele Mendez, 2003; Staples, 1982), are most likely to drop out of school, and most often fail to graduate from high school or to earn a GED (Pinkney, 2000; Roderick, 2003).

African Americans are targeted by law enforcement more often than any other race (Toth, Crews & Burton, 2008). Because of this the term racial profiling was created to explain the process of targeting people for criminal activity because of race not evidence (Toth et al, 2008). African Americans are over represented in the criminal justice system based on their population amount compared to whites (Toth et al, 2008). African American males are incarcerated at a rate 9 times that of white males in most states, in others that number may be as high as 12 to 26 times more (Toth et al, 2008). Nationwide statistics show in most states 1 in 20 over the age of 18 are in prison, while 5 other states report 1 in 13 or 14 compared to the 1 in 180

There have been 100,000 African Americans in prison since Brown vs Board of education. The article states that the trend will continue, 1 of every 3 African American males are apparently born today can expect to go to prison in their time, 1 in 6 Latino males, compared to 1 in every 17 White males. But for women, it is much lower, but the ethnicity does not change: 1 out of 18 African Americans, 1 out of 45 Hispanics, and finally 1 of every 111 White females, are expected to serve some time in prison. At any given day, 1 in every 13 African American males between 30 to 39 will incarcerated in a state or federal prison on any given day. This compares to the demographics of the group because in communities of color they are not affected only by incarceration but by high

Looking at these statistics it is easy to recognize the many hardships African American males have to endure and it also depicts the portrait of Black male underachievement at various points in their lives. “There is no shortage of empirical evidence to highlight the difficulties African American males encounter, including the realm of education and the consequences associated with being undereducated (McGee, 2013).

In the scholarly paper “Dropping Out of High School: The Influence of Race, Sex, and Family Background” by Russell W. Rumberger, he analyzes the underlying issues behind why students drop out. There is significance behind studying dropout rate, as students that drop out are usually less able than students who graduate high school. Dropouts are more likely to engage in crime, use drugs and/or alcohol, and have earlier marriages. He addresses several issues as to why students drop out as well as differences between why females and males drop out. (Rumberger) Females are more likely to drop out due to marriage and pregnancy while males are more likely to drop out because they do not like school. (Rumberger) This shows immense inequality between the two sexes as men can simply drop out of school because they want to while

According to the NAACP, “African Americans are incarcerated at nearly six times the rate of whites” (Criminal Justice). NAACP also shows how even though the minority groups only make up roughly one quarter of the population; they comprise 58% of prisoners (Criminal Justice). If these rates continue, one in three African American males will most likely spend time incarcerated in their lifetime. If a white person had committed the same crime as the minority, they would be less likely to serve any time. Courtney Connley explains how , “African American children born to high school dropout

In addition, high school dropouts have caused many hardships that negatively affect the American economy. Individuals, who have not received high school credentials, live such experiences as poverty, unemployment, teenage parenthood, and criminal activity (Esch, 2003). For example, without the minimum of a high school diploma, individuals are susceptible to a cycle of poverty (AYPF, 2006). Esch (2003) explained that in any given year, the likelihood of slipping into poverty is about three times higher for high school dropouts than for those who finish high school. He mentioned that high school dropouts lack many skills to be hired for decent jobs; therefore, students are more susceptible to be dependent on the public assistance. Researchers revealed that if one third of high school dropouts were to remain in school and earn a diploma, the federal government would save almost 11 billion annually from reducing funds needed for food stamps, housing

In recent years the killings of African American men have increased, especially those of unarmed black men. Between 2010 and 2012 it was reported that Blacks males were 21 times more likely to be

The national dropout rate has been about 15 percent. In 2002, 11 percent of young people aged 16 to 24 in the civilian, non-institutionalized population were not enrolled in and had not completed high school. While the exact magnitude of the problem may be elusive, the fact that it's particularly severe in large urban schools has been understood for some time.

Thesis Statement: More and more students drop out each year. Those who dropped out have various reasons. The alarming rates of drop outs have led them to a bleak future wherein such incident requires the attention and immediate action of various school authorities.