DROP OUTS

By Oksana Miroshnichenko

And

Brooke Dremann

DROP·OUT

A person who has abandoned a course of study or who has rejected conventional society to pursue an alternative lifestyle.

MAIN CAUSES OF DROPOUTS:

When young people who left school before graduating were asked why they did so, some common themes were reported.

1) Family Issues

2) Work related problems

3) Problems in school

FAMILY ISSUES:

Pregnancy was one of the reasons cited by young girls for leaving school.

Young men and women who became parents stated that was why they did not finish their education.

Early marriage may mean that a person will not stick around long enough to gradate either.

WORK RELATED PROBLEMS:

When work interferes with school work, it can be tempting for a young person to choose a regular pay check over an education.

In some situations, the young person needs to find a job to help support his or her family.

Being offered a job is another reason for leaving school early.

PROBLEMS IN SCHOOL:

Failing grades were given as a reason for dropping out by some teens.

Personality conflicts with teachers may also push students out the door of high school.

Kids who don’t like school are not very motivated to stay.

CONSEQUENCES:

No matter what the causes of high school dropouts are, there are definite consequences to leaving school before graduating

1) Fewer employment opportunities

2) Lower earnings potential

3) Prison

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES:

Long gone are the days when a young person could get a good-paying job without finishing high school.

A diploma is becoming a prerequisite for a number of entry-level jobs.

If you are planning on going on to college or university, you need to have a high school diploma first.

LESS MONEY:

A person who has dropped out of school is more likely to be unemployed than a high school graduate. If they are able to find work, it will be relatively low paying and offer little, if any, opportunity for career advancement.

High school dropouts are more likely than graduates to be on public assistance.

PRISON:

According to statistics published by the National Dropout Prevention Center/Network, three-quarters of inmates in state prison in the United States are high school dropouts.

In the case of inmates serving time in federal institutions, the percentage is 59 percent.

An individual who didn't finish high school is 3.5 times more likely to be arrested at some point during their lifetime.

HERE’S A THOUGHT:

If the overall graduation rate for high school students were to increase by only one percent, it would result in a $1.4 billion savings in the cost of keeping offenders incarcerated!!

DROP OUT PREVENTION:

Read this article on 15 dropout prevention strategies that were developed by the National Dropout Prevention Center in association with Franklin P. Schargel.

http://www.schargel.com/2007/12/17/15-effective-strategies-for-dropout-prevention/

OTHER OPTIONS:

G.E.D

Youth Challenge Program

Alternative school

G.E.D

GED stands for General Educational Development.

GED is the process of earning the equivalent of your high school diploma, which is called a GED certificate or credential.

It's a path to college.

HOW DOES ONE GET A G.E.D?

GED candidates are required to study for, take, and pass tests that measure high-school level skills and knowledge.

HOW LONG IT TAKES TO GET YOUR G.E.D ALL DEPENDS ON:

How long it has been since you left school

Your life experience since leaving school

Your available study time

Possible learning disabilities

Last completed year of school

YOUTH CHALLENGE PROGRAM:

Nine months after participants left the program, they were 36 percent more likely to have obtained a G.E.D. or a high school degree.

They were more than three times as likely to be attending college and 9 percent more likely to be working full time.

The Youth Challenge program graduates more than 7,000 students from sites in 28 states.

The program is run by the National Guard and is held mostly on military bases.

NOTE: They do not accept students with felony record and expel students who fail a drug test, steal or fight. Participation is voluntary. About 20 percent of those enrolled dropout, mainly in the first two weeks.

ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL:

The "alternative school" is usually part of the middle or high school program offered to secondary-aged students.

The students attending these schools typically are underachieving and usually are deficient in credits to graduate or to be with their same age students.

Yet, they desire to stay in school and gain their diplomas, or they have been placed in the school by the court system.

In many communities, these alternative schools also offer a unique parenting program with special opportunities for teenage mothers desiring to graduate from high school, but unable to attend the traditional high school.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

If one of your students were to come up to you and consider dropping out, what would you say or do to prevent this from happening?