Lack of School Flexibility: Is This What Led to High School Dropouts?

In their article, Levin and Rouse say that in the United states the dropout rate has fallen since the 1970s. They state that programs should be enforced to promote dropout prevention. While these programs may be expensive, more high school graduates benefit the economy in the long run.

First of all, High school dropouts is an issue occurring since a very long time ago because it has been proven that many students are unsuccessful after dropping out of high school. As mentioned before, every year over 1.2 million students drop out of high school. As Richmond mentions, “an estimated 1 million students will fail to graduate this year, a loss of 5,500 students for every day on the academic calendar” (Richmond 1). This is a big quantity of students who will have no education guidance into their future. Texas is one of the top three states with higher dropout rates along with California and Florida. Also, there is no rate difference between genders just that boys and girls dropout for different reasons. Although, people will say that this issue does not affect them particularly, these dropout students will affect our economy in the future. As Lynch states, “The financial ramifications of dropping out of high school hurt more than the individual” (Lynch par. 6). Since students

$10,510, that’s how much less a high school dropout earns annually than an individual with a high school diploma according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. A dropout is less likely to be employed, more likely to be incarcerated and more likely to live in poverty. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, due to incarceration, less paid in taxes and other factors a high school dropout costs taxpayers $292,000 over their lifetime. The financial costs alone should be enough to find ways to increase graduation rates. Research has shown early predictors of dropout are parental education level and early low literacy in the child. Families from one generation to another have a difficult time escaping poverty and families from one generation to another have difficulty improving literacy

The web page "College Dropout Statistics" lists many reasons for drop outs and how many including that, "30% of college and university students drop out after their first year" (Beckstead). Expectations are set for students including; having great attendance in their classes, finishing their assignments on time, being a part of an organization, or going out with other students. Keeping up with all that goes in school, and having maintaining a social life can be difficult. Another statistic states, "Being unable to balance school, jobs and family is one of the top reasons for dropping out" (Beckstead). Everyone is trying their best to enjoy college, but also get the degree they are striving for. All of this causes many students to drop out because they can not handle all of

Every year the rate of college drop outs rise. Not because of bad grades or not personal life. It is because of school costing too much and students needing to get full time job to even make some type of payments, so the college won’t drop you from classes. The lack of funding

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

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

As of personal experiences, members of my family have had to postpone getting their diploma to help assist in family needs. For instance, my grandpa got in an accident and work and was in the hospital for an extended amount of time so my oldest uncle had to postpone his diploma in order to help my grandma pay bills and get food on the table. I also believe that a majority of students don’t just drop out just because they don’t like it. I believe they have a greater reason for dropping out. For example, they could drop out in order to help on the family farm or to assist in the family business. Just because people drop out of high school does not mean they lack the skills to drive a

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

Another reason why a lot of students drop out of school is simply because they don't like it. High school, through its control over many decisions that are made for students, still seems to be restrictive. Many aspects of a student's life are pre-set and cannot be changed by the student to fit his needs. For example, a student's time schedule is set every year. Every student must go the same amount of hours every year. In most cases, school is from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. every day, whether he or she actually needs all the time or not. Students have to spend more time in some filler classes that they think they probably did not need to take but still had

As one can see in the past staying in school was mandatory and people were looked down if one did not finish school. Now in days’ students are quick to drop out and more parents are allowing it to happen. The rate of students who attend school and drop- out is tremendously high. As a student who thought about dropping out due to many encounters in life, but chose to stay in school and get an education changed who I am today. After all, each individual has a different perspective of whether high school should be mandatory both know it can only better one self. Attending high school will have challenges along with, but make it worth going for.

Dropping out leads to problems later on in life. Without a high school diploma or a good education, students may not get a high paying job and will most likely have a higher chance of being unemployed. Another problem dropping out creates is that students may choose to travel down a dark path. They may begin to do mischievous and horrible things. As a result of their actions, they’ll have a higher likelihood of ending up in jail or on public assistance.

Students cannot have high achievements until they meet the school standards and expectations. Tom Precious, in his article “Drop Out Age,” states “too many young people fail to recognize that it is nearly impossible to meet the demands of modern society and to live successfully without at least a high school education” (Precious 1). It is inferred that due to a lack of family encouragement, students fail to realize that education is one of the key factors needed for the workforce. According to the article, “the lawmakers said that in the 1996-97 school year, 27,629 students in New York high schools dropped out” (Precious 1). This means that the students’ attitudes are negative regarding school, and they have absolutely no value in education due to the way they were raised. Students have no interest in achieving high results needed for a successful future. There are numerous disadvantages of a dropout. On average, a dropout earns less money, more likely to be in jail, less healthy, less likely to be married, and is unhappier than a high school graduate. Therefore, students must be motivated and must have a positive attitude about school in order to avoid such discrepancy. This problem disproportionately affects low-income students as well as minority students. As stated in the article, “the legislation comes as the Board of Regents is moving to raise the educational bar for high school students--a move that many educators support but fear could lead to an increase in the dropout rate. In the coming years, students will have to pass five Regents exams in order to graduate” (Precious 1). This change may force the students to work harder and be motivated in order to pass high school and graduate. In addition, a key element is for all states to increase their minimum school-leaving age to 18. This intervention significantly improves many

Another personal related problem is jobs. Most students are working part-time in order to support themselves and their family which at times will lead to intrusion with school hours, home works, no time for studying especially to major exams and various school activities which otherwise leads to failing grade. Peer pressure is also another factor wherein these students are being led to bad influences such as drinking, drug which causes a major side effect to students (Schwartz, 1995). Schools do this in order to handle their problem. Students from broken homes are also likely to drop out of school due to the stressful situation that they have to go through and thus affect their concentration in school. Furthermore, most students who dropped out of school don't like school to begin with. These students will rebel and do anything against the school rules in order to be kicked out (Schwartz, 1995). They are likely to fail on their subjects, doesn't get along with other students, and have disciplinary problems. Oftentimes, disciplinary actions are taken before they are dropped out.

Will negatively affect a student's future. Bob Keeshan once said,”Children don't drop out of High School when they are 16 they do so in the first grade and wait 10 years to make it official.” Throughout the years studies have shown that in a year 1.2 million students drop out. Which leads that only 25% of High School students during their freshman year fail to graduate. Dropouts in the United States have became a very trending thing we must get to the bottom of this problem. Young adults should not be making these decisions it's time to step in.