Saving desertion is everyone’s business

It makes perfect sense to emphasize that rising dropout rates affect every part of our systems from: poverty-level living wages, more people without health insurance, higher prevalence of malnutrition, less time for parents to raise their children, less supervision of children, which portends future criminal and other behavior problems, and children imitate parents…so if their parents dropped out of school and didn’t come back…children are more likely to do the same .

Despite the plethora of assurances that the dropout rate is declining, it is simply not true. A recent article in Time magazine on April 17, 2006 devoted the front page to “DROPOUT NATION” and sent an alarm bell for dropout rates of 30% and in some cases 50% for some groups. “Nearly half of all dropouts ages 16 to 24 are unemployed.” (Page 38) These are their recommendations:

1. Third grade students who cannot read begin a downward spiral of failure. Early literacy programs help.

2. Create alternative high schools. Options in learning environments help children who are struggling in regular high schools.

3. Detect future dropouts. Children transmit early warning signs of unexcused absences or missing school. Intervention is essential.

4. Support for professional training. Many dropouts see little connection to school and the real world. Options other than college help them choose.

5. Involve adults. Parental support or mentoring helps children see the value of education, a job, and self-respect.

A survey by Bill and Melinda Gates published through Civics Enterprises was conducted by John Bridgeland and John Dilulio. The headline of this article was: “Dropouts Say Their Schools Expected Little From Them.”

Three quarters of the students surveyed say they would not drop out of school if they had to do it again. Here were some interesting statistics:

38% said they had too much freedom and too few rules.

68% say their parents became more involved only when they were in danger of dropping out.

70% were confident that they could have graduated if they had tried.

81% now believe that graduating from high school is important to their success

The Gates Foundation, which has already invested $1 billion in public schools, believes that breaking up large high schools into smaller learning communities will go a long way toward solving this problem.

The recommendations in this article suggest that missing school or truancy is the first warning indicator of dropout behavior. These students need to be identified early and steps must be taken to remedy the problem immediately. It is also suggested that the legal age for leaving school be raised to 17 or 18 instead of 16, in order to involve parents more at an earlier stage when students start to miss school.

According to an ERIC summary:

“Dropout rates are highest for students who come from low socioeconomic backgrounds, from single-parent families, and from non-English backgrounds.” (From the National Center for Educational Statistics)

“Students who get married, have children, or who are in trouble with the law or the authorities are more likely to drop out.”

In this study they found that school dropouts in a Wisconsin community showed strong indications of academic problems in the third grade. Teacher feedback alone predicted an accuracy of 63%. Poor attendance, failing grades, and low overall GPAs followed these students until they dropped out.

Those of you who have been following the errors in reporting dropout rates in various major cities across the country may have been just as dismayed as I was that the statistics have been doctored to make schools appear more successful than they really are. .

What seems to really work, and what can the average school and teacher do?

A few suggestions that seem to be working based on the materials I’ve been reading and the reports from high school success sites.

1. More of a personal and interactive relationship between teachers and students and their parents. My personal mantra has always been that relationships are a basic foundation of good schools, good teachers, and great education systems. Children need to know that you care about them and want them to succeed, and as a teacher, that is one of your highest goals.

2. Create smaller learning communities in large high schools and high schools. Many of the elementary schools in the area where I live now have between 900 and 1,000 students. It is difficult, and in many cases impossible, for teachers to connect with students and their families with such a large population.

3. Have high expectations for all students. Don’t give up on children and their potential because the student may fit the profile of a potential dropout. But keep good track of these students and remedy immediately. Kindergarten and first grade are essential to building that learning model and teaching parents to connect with schools and make them feel welcome. This is also the perfect time to focus on attendance and educate parents and students on the consequences of not having your child in school.

4. In some other cultures, compulsory school attendance is not the law in your home country. For example, in Mexico, the law does not require a child to attend school. This could be a huge culture shock for some Hispanic families. Family visits by staff who speak the language and can respectfully explain this can go a long way in helping them understand the laws here.

5. Discuss and honor all types of careers in schools. Our culture still needs: plumbers, carpenters, electricians, licensed vocational nurses, hairdressers, barbers, mechanics, etc. These professions must be respected and honored in schools. I have witnessed that most of the schools I have worked at do not honor them on career day or in any way.

6. Provide opportunities for choice for students. Our system shouldn’t offer college or anything. That is the height of irresponsibility with society. Schools can offer training for local businesses by connecting with business needs and cooperating, as long as local businesses support high school completion. Some high schools are encouraging this and seeing better results.

7. School administrators and educators must also work on their attitude. I have seen superintendents make statements like: “every student in our schools will go to college.” That is irresponsible in my opinion. Yes, we must have high expectations and believe in all students who WANT to go to college and schools must help them. Yes, there have been terrible counselors who encouraged students to drop out. But to fail to consider that some students are not interested in a four-year college degree is OUR FAILURE to help them do what they want with their lives, preparing them for a deliverable occupation in our society.

8. Dropout specialist intervention for a district does not necessarily work unless there is a representative from each school in a committee meeting working out details to design goals and set intentions for each school to reduce the potential dropout rate. Every campus should have a committee whose intent is to focus on changing whatever is necessary to meet the needs of these children.

9. Effective and engaged ESOL programs for children and parents would help the school community by teaching the language of this country to help people work and learn effectively here. Districts committed to successful English teaching and proper teacher training could help improve the chances of success for non-English speaking immigrants.

10. Update software systems to send emails to parents of students who are failing, missing days, etc. it’s wonderful for middle- and upper-income parents…those who might have fewer worries about their child dropping out of school. But what are we planning for the most vulnerable of our populations who may not be able to afford a computer, must work two jobs to support their families, and may need their high school student to work to support the family? We may need to contact and work closely with local social workers and the system to design models for these families as well. Is it too far-fetched for principals or assistant principals to go to the children’s homes and pick them up for school, or visit the parents at night, or call them and make sure the arrangements for school are still happening? ?

We have a long way to go to help solve this problem, and as I said earlier, it’s everyone’s problem, not just the school system. Forward-thinking administrative staff can do much to implement change at their respective schools, demonstrate the effectiveness of the plan, and bring this information to a larger council for district-wide change. Teachers in classrooms can monitor their students, call home frequently to check if students are absent, and enforce absence policies. Teachers can also make sure that all students are reading correctly by third grade.
Parents should be reminded frequently of the importance of school attendance and the consequences of absenteeism. Businesses can commit to connecting with schools and helping train a local workforce to provide jobs and employees for their future and the future of this country. Ministers, coaches, coaches, and any other professional working with children in this country may ask, “How are your grades? Are you going to school? Why not? What can I do to help you? It’s important to me that you stay in school.”

Resources:
Time Magazine: April 17, 2006 “Dropout Nation” Ages 30-40

USA Today-“Drops out say their schools expected too little of them” by Greg Toppo

Eric Digest ED339092 1991-00-00 by Jean Gausted, “Identifying Potential Dropouts”