High School Dropouts

When it comes to high school dropout rates, there are many factors that need to be considered before attempting to suggest a reason, and a solution to the issue. One of the first

Every year, 15 million students enter high school. Of those students, more than 1.3 million will drop out before graduation. This can be due to a number of factors: struggles in their home or personal life, disinterest in or misunderstanding the subject matter, an inability to complete the assignments, or a combination of these. On top of these students dropping out, 25% of students staying in school fail to graduate on time, if at all. Altogether, our education system is failing to educate and support 5 million high school students each year. Although completely preventing students from dropping out or failing may be unrealistic, we can reduce the number significantly. Three changes that we need to see in our school system are the removal of standardized tests, the addition of life skills courses, and the inclusion of mental health information and support. These modifications would

Students who dropout of high school before the age of 18 put their well-being at risk later on in life. According to BMC Public Health’s study focusing on over 3146 dropout students ranging in age from 20-29, “Poor mental health was present in 24% of the participants.” This emphasizes the fact that if teenagers drop out of high school they hurt their health because they go into a depressive state easier than their classmates who graduate. As a result of the depression, they go unemployed. This continues into a lack of anything to do and stress of unpayable bills. Finally, the data suggests that students should not be allowed to dropout without a diploma because when these students go into an unhealthy mental state, they can lose connection with their family or lead to worse situations making it even worse. Also in the radio interview, Missy Remiss, an education

In October 2000, the overall picture of high school dropouts had changed little since the late 1980s (Kaufman et al. 2001): For every 100 young adults enrolled in high school in October 1999, 5 had left school without completing a program; of 34.6 million U.S. young adults aged 16-24, 3.8 million—almost 11 percent—had not completed high school and were not enrolled. Some studies have shown that students in schools with a concentration of multiple risk factors (e.g., large schools, large classes, high poverty, inner city location) have less than one chance in two of graduating from high school; furthermore, the economic costs of dropping out have increased as time goes on (Castellano et al. 2001). Adjusting for 50

“Dropping out of school does not seem to happen overnight; it comes after a long term process of frustration and failure” (Balfanz par 2). According to the National Center for Education Statistics, The population studied students attending Baltimore schools and gathered research that indicates how low test scores and report card grades as early as the 1st grade are reliable sources of whether students would later drop out(Alexander, Entwisle and Kabbani par.6). Also having to go through grade retention as early as kindergarten is also connected to why the dropout rate has reached a dynamic level (Kaufman and Bradby par.6). Whoever decides to drops out has no type of support, encouragement, or ambition starting at such a young age.

High school dropout rate is a significant indicator of future success in life. For high school dropouts, it is harder to find jobs and earn as much money as their graduated peers. On the outside looking in, not being able to graduate is usually associated with school performance, socioeconomic status, parents’ education level and/or lack of motivation. Moreover, there are also underlying factors of race and gender and they both affect performance in high school immensely. In order to study dropout rates, focus should be put on the group of students at risk of dropping out.

Across the United States, high school students can encounter a variety of issues that hinder their ability to successfully complete course work to earn the required credits towards graduation. High schools across the United States have an obligation to ensure that students are achieving and receiving a diploma. It is also in the school’s best interest to ensure students are gradating both funding wise and for the overall school rating. When a student does not receive a high school diploma the action affects the student, community and the school. High school dropouts may find it harder to obtain a job that would provide a stable and productive income verses a high school graduate thus, the financial disadvantage in turn can cause

The dropout problem is not only an individual problem, but it is costly to society as a whole. Warren & Halpen-Manners (2007) explained, “high school dropouts is of fundamental social, economic, and political importance and has major implications for educational policy and practice, patterns of economic and racial/ethnic inequality, and the quality of America’s workforce” (p. 335). Coupled with that, Neild et al (2008) further argued going through the portal into adult life without high school credentials carries severe economic and employment penalties. Also, Kennelly (2007) explained “When students drop out…. the toll of the quality of life and the prosperity and competitiveness of the communities where they live and collectively across

"By the Numbers: Dropping Out of High School." PBS. WGBH Educational Foundation, 21 Sept. 2012. Web. 28 Mar. 2017.

High school dropouts are not only facing a miserable situation in the rest of lives but also

The path to graduation can be long, unpredictable and quite confusing. This article “California Dropout Research Project” shows how the Los Angeles School District tried to explain what are the factors that come into to place that prevent certain student from graduating high school on time. Some of the factors are race, gender, and income. The chapter that mainly focuses on income indicates in order understand dropout crisis requires understanding the academic and

While there are many determinants for why students dropout, a leading predictor is student attendance; or more precisely, the extent to which students are present or absent during instructional time and other school activity. According to a study, chronically absent students are seven times more likely to dropout than their peers. In addition, the same study noted that students who missed just 10 percent or more of instructional time—whether absent were excused—were more likely to have “lower levels of numeracy and literacy by

Did you know that 1.2 million high school students drop out of school every year just in the United States alone (11 Facts)? The decrease of high school graduation rates is a fairly important issue, and there are plenty of reasons to propose a change. According to the U.S. Department of Education, the current standard dropout rate of high school students is 7.4%. High school dropouts encounter way more difficulties and challenges than a high school graduate would. An average high school drop out lacks the basic education that one needs in order to be successful in life. They are more likely to face problems dealing with financial insecurity, communication skills, and of course, educational matters. With a high school diploma, one is more likely to get hired for a job, earn a higher income, and educate oneself even further. Some possible causes of high school students dropping out include stress, boredom, family problems, pregnancies, and drugs. With that said, with every issue, there is always a solution. By taking the problem at hand and looking at it from a broad perspective, we can thoroughly identify the source of the high dropout rates of U.S. high school students. There are countless factors that may be the cause of this epidemic, but a few ideas including making learning more relevant, limiting the workload given to students, and providing mandatory classes on drugs and safe sex may possibly be a solution to this

In North Carolina, from 2013-2014 to 2014-2015 there was a 6.6 percent increase in crime rates within schools for high schools, also during this time there was a 4.8 percent increase in dropouts (Hinchcliffe, 2016). For the school year of 2014-2015 the dropout rate was 2.39 percent, which was a increase compared to the previous year that had a rate of 2.28 percent (The Progressive Pulse, 2016). High school dropouts are known to face issues in their future in regards to their socioeconomic status, job attainment, and other risk factors that may influence their lives in the long-term. It has been found that high school dropouts earn an estimated $9,000 less per year on average compared to individuals that graduate. They are also more likely to live in poverty, it was also found that dropouts are three times more likely to be unemployed compared to graduates which puts them at a further disadvantage (Burrus & Roberts, 2012). The consequences of dropping out not only affects the individuals but also our society, due to its contributions to governmental costs; in 2001 there were 40% of high school dropouts (16-24 years old) receiving government assistance (Burrus & Roberts, 2012).. This portrays how high school dropouts leads to further problems and affect others.

In the past decade, the issue of high school dropouts has been a major problem in the United States. On the other hand, several studies have shown that in 2015 students are still dropping out, but not nearly at the dropout rate since 2008. Nevertheless, there is still a high school dropout crisis. In today’s society the majority of student’s dropout for reasons such as their financial state at home, the increased teen pregnancy rate, and the pressure of alcohol and drugs.