Dropout Rates in High Schools

Summary

The cases of school dropouts are growing at an alarming rate. Many children are leaving high school long before they graduate. The trend is disturbing, and all the necessary measures need to be implemented to curb the problem. The management of the education sector requires a concerted effort that will ensure that the students will appreciate their being at school and the impact of education in their lives. The different factors have been identified to cause the problem of students dropping out of school. High level of poverty among the minority communities has been defined as a significant reason for the children exiting school before they can graduate. The concern has been raised in many quarters. The government has the role of making the situation better for the children to enjoy staying in school. The teachers and the students can also play an essential role towards eliminating the issues that may emerge out of the cases of children dropping out of schools before they can graduate.

Policies have been developed with the aim of reducing the cases of students dropping out. The policymakers need to ensure that all the children have equal rights to an education without paying attention to their backgrounds. The concerned parties should ensure that the children are not discriminated against by their peers or teachers based on any given basis. The female children should be handled with care for meeting their unique needs. The teen mothers need support to be able to go back to class after they give birth. Such girls need assistance to be able to overcome the stigma associated with that condition. The parents have the role of offering best parental care with the aim of supporting their children through education. The cooperation between all the stakeholders is therefore essential towards reducing the rate of school dropouts among the high school students.

Dropout Rates in High Schools

High school dropout rates have been recorded highly in the recent times. The records indicate that the dropout rates are higher in some states as compared to others. The acceptable period of four years is perceived as the required amount of time that a person should spend in high school (Stetser and Robert 2). However, the rates have been dropping in some states faster than in some other states. The problem has been a significant concern to the policymakers of the education sectors. The actions groups have noted that the dropout rates are not simple accidents that can be wished away. The paper discusses the cause of high school dropout rates and the possible solutions.

Education advocacy groups have played an essential role in identifying the areas where the problem has been recorded to be rampant. The number of high schools that have failed to graduate is falling in some areas. However, the problem is endemic and needs to be handled carefully to eliminate all the issues that the students may be facing in their attempts to graduate successfully from the high schools. The paper will, therefore, look at the reasons behind the high number of high school dropout recorded in the recent past.

Underserved communities have been identified as the most affected by the crisis. Efforts should be raised towards putting down measures that can be used towards meeting the challenges that are faced by the identified community. Education is an essential fundamental right that needs to be available to all students in an equal proportion. Several regulations have been defined as a way of curbing the spiraling rate of high school dropouts.

The underlying factors that cause the high rate of school dropout have been identified as the most prominent concerns for the government. Several presidents have made it their priority to arrest the problem and provide lasting solutions that can prove to be beneficial to the efforts. Several regulations have been implemented with the goal of reducing the aspect of school dropouts. The schools attended by the children from poor neighborhoods are the greatest affected by the high dropout rates. Effective policies need to be implemented to check the situation (Freeman and Brandi 208).Policies have been developed to try to arrest the situation and ensure that such students remain in school until they graduate.

Schools that had a majority of students from the minority communities have been identified to be the most affected by the high dropout rates. The most significant populations of students who fail to graduate are from the Hispanic communities. More efforts have been focused on the aspect of safeguarding the historically disadvantaged students. The efforts have seen the development of laws that are focused towards ensuring that the people had a much stronger accountability measures with the aim of safeguarding the students that have been disadvantaged from a historical perspective.

The problem needs to be handled by the expected level of assistance and importance with the aim of eliminating the aspect of recurrence of the issues in the end. Students of color have the lowest possibility of completing school in the required time. The aspects of poverty cause the tendency. The reports suggest that the schools identified as dropout factories have a high number of students from the minority communities of African Americans and Hispanics. Transparent reporting is essential towards understanding the effects of the problem and the extent to which help can be sought for the affected schools and students.

Accountability among the schools should be centralized so that the depth of the problem can be understood better. The need for an equal education system is a goal that should be the center of focus. The ultimate goal is to drop the dropout rates to zero. The most important effort is to turn around the schools that have been struggling with the problem of high numbers of students dropping out.

Efforts towards equality should be focused towards ensuring that the students from the needy families have equal access to education as their affluent peers. Several concerns have been raised towards the aspects of the problems that need to be addressed with the necessary urgency. The factors and the tendencies can be noted earlier in the life of the student before an escalation occurs. The early identification can be instrumental towards the formulation of the efforts that are meant to normalize the situation.

The choice of dropping out is not just a onetime event. The element is a systematic process that has events following each other from one-step to the other. The warning sign is always available for people to see. Several pointers can be seen towards establishing a tendency towards students dropping out of high school. Most cases occur early in the years of the high school. Most cases have of students dropping out of school have been recorded when the students get to the tenth grade of their studies. Most of such children are classified as under-credited because they have managed to get lower than required courses as expected at that stage.

Early warnings can be noted in the process of the students dropping out of school. Mitigation of the signals is vital towards the elimination of the problem. The demographic and performance indicators play a significant role in offering the earliest warning signs that can be used to mitigate the problem. Other factors such as the personality of an individual and the motivation also play a significant role in the high rates of dropping out from school.

The demographic aspects of the problem can be outlined as the children coming from a low-income family. Such a student will experience the challenge of earning less than expected credits that will be the reason behind them dropping out of school.

Male students in most cases have been shown to record poor attendance in the schools that they attend. Female students record good attendance when going to school (Shahidul and Karim 30). The fact is also the same for the students that are comparatively older than their peers in the classes that they attend (Stark and Amber 6). Such students feel out of place, and the lack of the necessary motivation mechanisms may see them exit the school before graduating.

Children from the ethnic and racial minorities tend to obtain poor grades in core subjects. The factor causes them to develop a negative attitude towards education in totality, and the result is the dropping out from such schools (Goux, Marc, and Eric 3). Attitudes of the students also play an essential part towards completing school. The aspects such as the class work not exciting and lack of engagement in school have been identified as some of the factors behind the high number of students that are dropping out of high schools.

Social Concerns

The social background has been described as some of the most prominent factors behind the high rates of high school dropouts. The socioeconomic status plays a significant role towards the graduation of the targeted students. The students from low-income families have the most senior tendency towards dropping out of schools as compared to their affluent peers. Reports also show that students with physical disabilities are also most likely to drop out of school (DePaoli et al. 6). The case also applies to the children with low learning capabilities. Other factors such as alienation by the peers or adult members in the schools also play an essential role in the contribution to the high rates of students dropping out.

The loss of motivation when the child notes that he cannot march his peers towards having equal opportunities is the primary reason behind dropping out in such cases. The students that do not fit in the traditional class makeup also have a high tendency of dropping out of school before graduation. The concern has been seen as a significant driver of the policies that are aimed at reducing ensuring that the social concerns are eliminated from the problems that may emerge from the rampant cases of students dropping out. The ability of a child to have long term goals can be used to determine the possibility of dropping out of school (Fitzpatrick et al. 160).

Higher rates of poverty have been recorded among people that do not have a high school degree. The poverty rates of such dropouts are higher as compared to the college graduates. The unemployment rates among such people are significantly higher. The lifetime earnings of people without high school diplomas are much lower in comparison to that of their peers that graduated from the high school. The connection between dropout rates and high levels of crime has also been established. People that have dropped out of school have the most prominent tendency towards getting into the criminal gangs.

The effect of such tendency has been seen in the high number of criminal cases reported in the low-income areas. Most of the people arrested because of the crimes committed in such areas did not graduate from high schools. Data from the prisons departments indicate that the most prominent segment of the young people that have been incarcerated are not high school graduates. The rate of school dropouts is significantly elevated among the immigrants. Most of the immigrants are not registered, and the fact implies that the number might be more substantial than anticipated.

Personal Concerns

Personal reasons are some of the most significant drivers behind the cases of high school  dropouts. However, most students prefer it a way of overcoming their personal and academic problems. They view the aspect of dropping out of school as a way of getting away from the heavy responsibility of attending school. Some factors have been identified to champion the personal decisions behind dropping out of school. Keeping the students engaged in school for long might seem to be a good measure but the effect is not as direct as expected (Cabus 3).

Pregnancy and early parenthood have been identified as one of the primary reasons behind the children dropping out of high school. Teen pregnancy has been determined to cause many concerns to the high school students. The most prominent segment of the female students that exit school has cited early pregnancy as a significant reason (Marchbanks III et al. 6). Pregnant teens feel embarrassed to go to school. Most of them struggle with the symptoms of the early stages of pregnancy such as morning sickness and fatigue. The effects make it difficult for them to keep up with the demand of the classwork. The process of taking care of the babies after birth is a time-consuming process that may prove to be difficult to couple it with classwork. The best choice according to them is, therefore, dropping out of school.

Boredom among the students has been identified as a reason behind the children dropping from school (Freeman et al. 293). Most of the students that have dropped out of high school suggest that the academic works are not impressive. Some of them have even reported that their teachers are not interesting enough to be accorded attention. Most of the students that have dropped out of school cite frustration from the repeated monotony presented by the academic works.

Academic struggles also lead to the cases of students dropping out of school. The educational efforts point to the cases where the students do not meet the minimum standards to proceed with the next steps. The students are subjected to repeating classes to attain the required credits (Orpinas et al. 3). The students, therefore, prefer the choice of dropping out for continuous failure in class work.

The lack of parental support has been blamed as one of the reasons behind the students dropping out of high school. Low parental involvement or the lack of it has been seen as a significant reason for low attendance. Parents occupy a central role in ensuring that the school attendance of their children is high enough (De Witte and Marton 2). Such parents have the characteristic of not following up on the academic progress of their children. Communication breakdown between the parents and the teachers leave the students with no option rather than dropping out of school.

Political Concerns

Dropping out of school raises significant levels of political concerns. Education plays a significant role in the political aspect of the economy. An adequately educated population has the capability of changing the fortunes of any country. Education plays a vital role in the aspect of human and economic development. The purpose of quality education in the success of a nation cannot be underestimated. The people require the best knowledge to be able to tackle the challenges that a nation might face. The rate of children dropping out of school is therefore alarming. The threat posed by the trend cannot be underestimated. The future of such countries is seen as a threat to the wellbeing of the concerns of the general population. It is therefore vital to ensure that all the measures are put in place before the problem becomes endemic.

Solutions to the Dropping out Problem

Identification of the students faced with the most significant risk is vital towards the elimination of the problem. Analyzing the risk factors is substantial towards the identification of the children that are vulnerable to the situation of dropping out of school. The identification of the schools with the most cases of dropouts is also vital in the process of meeting the expected goals. The problem can then be sorted by addressing the concerns of the individual students. The help can also be implemented at the school level or in a regional level with many schools involved.

Effective intervention programs are vital towards the reduction of the impact of the problem on the children (Doren, Christopher, and Jeff 151). The interventions should bring on board all the concerned parties in the education sectors. Community leaders, teachers, parents and the students may play a very significant role in the full implementation of the programs. Effective programs have been developed and have played a significant role in the reduction of the cases of children dropping out of high school in the recent past. The coordination of the concerned bodies is also vital towards eliminating the problems faced by the schools that are referred to as dropout factories.

Importance of Free College Education

The college education is essential for the development of any country. The population depends on the advancements that emerge from education as the basis for success. The role of education can therefore not be undermined. The capabilities of education in eliminating poverty are an essential aspect that can lead to the development of a country into the league of the successful. Education, therefore, plays that specific role in improving the lives of the masses.

The process of making college education free will play a crucial role towards the goals of education in the community. The improvement in access to education is particularly vital towards ensuring that the aspect of equality is fostered among the people. The transition rates of students between the high schools and colleges will improve, and that will lead to the creation of more informed populations.

The availability of free secondary education is however dependent on numerous other factors. Availability of employment opportunities is an essential factor that should advise such a move. Students that graduate from colleges has the vital role of meeting the concerns of the society. They need to be in the position of getting the opportunity of expressing the skills that they acquire from the colleges. Such jobs should also be viable enough to accommodate the wage demands of the educated population.

Effects of Free College Education on the School Dropout Rates

The aspect of students dropping out of schools is a series of events that begin from a very early stage of high school. Making college education free might not have a direct impact on the rate of school dropouts. The problem of dropping out of school needs to be curbed from the early points. Eliminating the risks factors is vital towards reducing the effects school dropouts on the children. Some students are determined by not going to the college, and therefore such an action might not have the direct impact towards eliminating the aspect of school dropouts.

Conclusion

The high rate of children dropping out of high school is alarming. All the stakeholders need to play their role s towards eliminating a possibility for a backlash that may prove fatal to the future generations. Several factors have been identified to cause the rise in the cases of school dropouts. The rates are alarming, and a severe solution is required to contain the situation before it gets out of hand. The aspect of children dropping out has many consequences on all the elements of life. The stakeholders need to play their roles in correcting the situation. The people need to understand the different roles that they can play in meeting the concerns of the children affected by the situation. Eliminating the risk factors is key to ensuring that the future generations are saved from themselves. The students should be taught about the vital role that education plays in their future lives. Dialogue needs to be encouraged between the teachers and the students. The development of a personal relationship between them is key to the correction of the situation as it stands now. The students need to be motivated to attend school and perform to the best of their abilities. Equality should be enforced in the education sector. The parents also need to be more involved in the education process of their children. The involvement will make it easy for them to note problems when they emerge. The parents can then take appropriate actions with the aim of ensuring that their children remain in school. Identification of the other areas where the students are interested is also key to the elimination of the problem. Students can be subjected to nurturing that is aimed at ensuring that they feel appreciated and part of the school.

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