High School Dropouts: Cause And Prevention

High School Dropouts Outline

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.

a. Major factors for leaving school

* Was not motivated or inspired

* Classes were not interesting

* Missed too many days and could not catch up

* Spent time with people who were not interested in school

* Had too much freedom and not enough rules in life

* Was Failing in School

b. Characteristics of students who dropped out

* Socio-economic background

* Disabilities

* Race-ethnicities

* Academic factors

* Absenteeism

* Occupational aspirations

* Predictive factors

o Grade retention

o Poor academic performance

o Moves during high school

o High absenteeism

o Misbehavior

o Feeling of students that no adults care his or her welfare

b. Consequences of dropping out of school

* Earning potential which led to dropouts the possibility to lead a bleak future due to the possibility of them to have less chance for job employment. And when they did find job, they will have to suffer life on low-paying occupations as well as offering little opportunity for upward mobility. Dropping out and severely impairing a young person's job prospects and earnings potential, in turn, causes other secondary, indirect problems:

 reliance on public assistance

 become single parents

 possibility to land in jail or prison

c. What dropouts believe could improve student's chances

* Opportunities for real-world learning (internships, service learning, etc.) to make classroom relevant

* Better teacher who keep classes interesting

* Smaller classes with more individual instruction

* Better communication between parents and school

* Parents make sure their kids go to school everyday

* Increase supervision at school

Concluding Statement: Education is very imperative on the lives of people thus it is important to finish schooling in order to achieve one's dreams and lead a better life.

High School Dropouts: Causes and Prevention

Education plays an important role in maintaining or transforming political and social structure (Anderson and Randall, 1999). It is a significant determinant of the distribution of income and wealth. However, despite its importance and significance that it gives to the life of students for their future, schools and educational organizations are faced with several education-related issues that really need to be addressed. One of these is the issue of high school dropouts.

Every year, the number of dropout students in high school has escalated and is now an urgent issue for educators (Haring, Klockas, Kortering, 1992). According to Rumberger (1987), this issue of students dropping out of school would blight their economic welfare as they grow up (Rumberger, 1987 pg. 101). Furthermore, major studies revealed that this also would result for students to have an austere outlook in their future lives (Edgar, 1987; Hess, 1986) and is also possible for them to have a hard time finding stable jobs and supporting their financial needs especially to those who already have their own family.

The term dropout pertains to any person who has dropped out of school or who has been dropped out of school (Haring, Klockars, and Kortering, 1992). There are many causes associated with high school drop outs. The U.S. Department of Education Statistics revealed in their studies that the reasons are due to various factors such as socio-economic backgrounds, disabilities, race ethnicity, academic factors, absenteeism, occupational aspirations, predictive factors caused by grade retention, poor academic performance, misbehavior, and the feeling that no adult cares for his or her welfare (http://www.ed.gov/offices/OERI/research).

Students who have various personal problems are considered as the main cause especially to women. One of these personal related problems is marriage which is very stressful to any student because school would become their second priority due to heavy load that a married person has to deal with (Schwartz, 1995). 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.

Various programs are being carried out by schools in order to reduce the rates of dropout and these programs are centered on maximizing school attendance and achievement and other educational-related outcomes (Fashola and Slavin, 1998).