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Economic Stability and Dropout Rates
Baroness Thompson Research Methods PSY302 Economic Stability and Dropouts July, 19 2008
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Abstract
Economic Hardship is prevalent across America. Urban areas struggle to find stability with work, family and future endeavors. Children dropout of school and never return. The dropout rate is alarming in rural and urban areas. Teachers and parents are overwhelmed with the violence that plagues their community. Poverty is the antecedent to ignorance among communities. Communities have to embrace all adolescents. Single parents strive to raise families. A community can shape a Childs future. When the home setting is flagrant children become confused. Life and the community hurt and fail a Childs future. These tragic perdictmenets are devastating. Drugs, gangs and violence become an adolescents alternative for survival. Crime increases and children become the antecedent to the surge in crime. Young children dropout of school and become parents. Many of these children only return to drop-off there own children. Economic instability is prevalent in America. Children suffer because of the hardship they endure.This hard ship is prevelant in areas dealing socio economic issues. Many young children succumb to crime, violence and drugs. Their home setting is dangerous and their community is worse. There is no room for advancement. Their community has been plagued with unwanted behavior. Schools are dangerous in many urban areas. Gangs are widespread in schools and the community. Children living in these conditions are confused and traumatized on a daily bases. Many psychologist and others have tried to find out why our youth are dropping out of school. .This research paper will review various articles and journals about the dropout rate in areas dealing with poverty, crime, gangs and drugs. It is very Devastating and a prevalent topic in the 21st century. Children have to go to school in order to become successful adults. Teachers become enforcers and parents and children are not responding in urban school settings. Dropout rates in urban areas have become an urban calamity.
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Economic Stability And Dropout Rates
Children living in harsh conditions are forced to take drastic measures. They
believe there is only one way to survive. They drop out of school and become
delinquents. Many children are dealing with appalling situations in their home
environment. Some children stay in school with little to know support from home
environment. Urban communities are forced to deal with flagrant adults. Many adults that
have dropped out of school and have children of their own. Adolescents turn to their
community to raise them. These adolescents receive what their community has to offer.
An alarming number of these students, however, achieve at significantly lower levels
than their white counterparts and leave school--either through dropping out early or at
graduation--lacking the skills and knowledge required by employers, colleges, and trade
schools (Walker, White’s 1988).
Urban minority children also tend to be among America's poorest citizens. Of the
many statistics that could be cited, a few from Reed and Sautter's 1990 report on children
and poverty should make clear the economic disadvantages experienced by these
children(Walker, White's 1988).
More than 12.6 million U.S. young people--nearly 20 percent of all children under
the age of 18 are poor. Two thirds of poor Americans are white, but the rate of poverty is
considerably higher for minorities. Four out of nine black children are poor. Three out of
eight Hispanic children are poor. More than 56 percent of families headed by single black
women are poor. The poverty rate for families headed by single Hispanic women is 59.
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percent (Corcoran, Walker, White's 1988). Their reports indicating that 71 percent of all
black students and over 50 percent of all Hispanic students attend schools in inner-city
settings (Corcoran, Walker, White’s 1988).
Parent involvement. Research demonstrates that parent involvement in
instruction, in support of classroom and extracurricular activities, and in school
governance is related to positive student learning outcomes and attitudes. Research also
shows that such involvement is especially beneficial for many minority children, who
may otherwise feel torn between the differing norms and values represented by the home
and the school. Urban problems--in education or other areas--are outside the scope of this
report. For present purposes, it is sufficient to note that schooling practices have largely
failed to meet the learning needs of urban minority young people and that reversing this
pattern is critically important--for these students themselves, of course, but also for the
social and economic health of the nation (Corcoran, Walker, and White's 1988)(Kathleen
Cotton 1988). I also used. School Improvement Research Series (SIRS) Research You
Can Use.
Fortunately, a great deal is known about the kinds of schooling practices which
are effective for educating these "at-risk" students. Educational research and evaluation
efforts have identified many practices which lead to positive academic and affective
outcomes for these young people, and these are cited following a context-setting
discussion of the effective schooling research. (1988 Kathleen Cotton)
Methods
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My research was conducted by using various key words. Dropout rates in urban
and rural areas were my basic phrases. There were various cites with adequate
information. These cite provided basic statistics on the drop out rates in urban areas. I
was alarmed on the statistics after review. Minorities dropping out of school have become
a prevalent epidemic. Minorities are faced with alarming circumstances. I used,
APA.Com and PSYC Info cites. Also Corcoran, Walker, and White's 1988 Topical
Synthesis #4 Educating Urban Minority Youth: Research on Effective Practices by
Kathleen Cotton. This cites was also used, School Improvement Research Series (SIRS)
Research You Can Use. The findings reported in this summary are based on a review of
96 resources, 61 of which are research documents demonstrating relationships between
educational practices and student outcomes. The other 35 are more general references,
addressing such topics as desegregation planning, anti-racism education, program
content, minority teachers, and the over- or under representation of minority students in
different school programs and other categories (Walker, and White's 1988).
Of the 61 research documents, 27 are reports of studies or evaluations, 33 are
reviews, and one is a metaanalysis of findings from several studies. All are concerned
with students at risk of school failure, and most of these are inner-city black or Hispanic
students (and sometimes other minority populations as well) from low-income families.
Schooling practices investigated in the research include tracking and long-term ability
grouping, tutoring, multicultural programming, parent involvement, different
administrative styles, retention, cooperative learning, bilingual education, anti-racism
education, early childhood programming, presence or absence of minority school
personnel, and an array of climate and instructional variables (Cotton 1988).
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Outcomes areas measured include achievement in general and in particular
subject areas, student attitudes, student self-concept, dropout rates, student motivation,
race relations, disciplinary infractions, employability, IQ scores, grades, English language
proficiency, incidence of special and remedial education referrals, absenteeism,
detentions, and home school relations. (Walker, and White's 1988).
Many children are traumatized by, their environment. Children in urban areas
don’t have adequate health care. Children that have to live in destructive, malign
environments need counseling. They are children in an urban war that have undiagnosed
PTSD.
Deprivations of Poverty
When the deprivations of poverty, the easy availability of firearms and drugs on
our streets, the anonymity of mass society, and the so-called toxic effects of popular
culture are taken into account, the "War for Boys"--as some have termed it--may be seen
more accurately as one front in a larger "War for Children" that parents, professionals,
and concerned policymakers and citizens are called upon to wage each and every day. All
children deserve to be treated as individuals, not labels. All children are entitled to grow
up in secure, protected, and nurturing surroundings. Our challenge as professionals and
caring adults is to prevent episodes of violence and suicide, to reduce school drop-out
rates, misdiagnosis, and over reliance on psychotropic medications, and to eliminate
entirely discrimination among all children irrespective of social class, ethnicity, race,
national origin, sexual orientation, or gender. Increasingly, teachers and school
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professionals, and even psychologists, are looking to their unions for advocacy on behalf
of students (Falconnier (2008 Jan).
Discussion
This part of the research reviews various aspects of a student’s successes in their
school setting. This inclusion is focused on how parents can get involved in their
Childs education. Children depend on their school to help them in life. School is
an important aspect of his or her life. No child left behind has left many children
behind. Adolescents receive the required units most of the time. Although, the
exit exam keeps adolescents behind. Children have given up because of this
dilemma. After researching this dilemma, I believe there is no room for
advancement. In regards to the exit exam. If a child has been pushed through
school because of behavior, he or she hasn’t received the adequate skills to past
the exam. Special education students, have to pass the exam as well. The exit
exam doesn’t exclude children that are developmentally delayed. These children
won’t reach any mile stones beside basic secondary skills. Nevertheless they are
required to take this test. A Childs report card motivates them. They look at their
achievement and it motivates them to do better. Schools are the antecedent to each
child development. Mentally, emotionally and continually Parents play the
biggest part in a Childs achievement, with help from their Childs school.
Student Performance/No Child left Behind
How are school report cards put together and what kind of information do they
provide?
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Reports on individual schools are part of the annual district report cards, also known as
local report cards. Each school district must prepare and disseminate annual local report
cards that include information on how students in the district and in each school
performed on state assessments. The report cards must state student performance in terms
of three levels: basic, proficient and advanced. Achievement data must be disaggregated,
or broken out, by student subgroups according to: race, ethnicity, gender, English
language proficiency, migrant status, disability status and low-income status. The report
cards must also tell which schools have been identified as needing improvement
(http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/reports/dropout/ftf/info.asp).
How can parents see these local report cards, which include school-by-school data?
States must ensure that the local districts make these local report cards available
to the parents of students promptly and by no later than the beginning of the school year.
The law requires that the information be presented in an "understandable and uniform
format, and to the extent practicable, in a language that the parents can understand."
States and districts may also distribute this information to the media for publicizing; post
it on the Internet; or provide it to other public agencies for dissemination
(http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/reports/dropout/ftf/info.asp).
Local school districts must notify parents if their child's school has been
identified as needing improvement, corrective action or restructuring. In this event,
districts must let parents know the options available to them. Also, districts must annually
notify parents of students in Title I schools of their "right to know" about teacher
qualifications and how to exercise it.
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What information is provided on state report cards?
Each state must produce and disseminate annual report cards that provide information on
student achievement in the state--both overall and broken out according to the same
subgroups as those appearing on the district report cards listed above. State report cards
include:
State assessment results by performance level (basic, proficient and advanced),
including (1) two-year trend data for each subject and grade tested; and (2) a comparison
between annual objectives and actual performance for each student group.
Percentage of each group of students not tested. Graduation rates for secondary school
students and any other student achievement indicators that the state chooses. Performance
of school districts on adequate yearly progress measures, including the number and
names of schools identified as needing improvement.
(http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/reports/dropout/ftf/info.asp).
Professional qualifications of teachers in the state, including the percentage of
teachers in the classroom with only emergency or provisional credentials and the
percentage of classes in the state that are not taught by highly qualified teachers,
including a comparison between high- and low-income schools.
What is "adequate yearly progress"? How does measuring it help to improve schools?
No Child Left Behind requires each state to define adequate yearly progress for school
districts and schools, within the parameters set by Title I. In defining adequate yearly
progress, each state sets the minimum levels of improvement--measurable in terms of
student performance--that school districts and schools must achieve within time frames
specified in the law. In general, it works like this: Each state begins by setting a "starting
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point" that is based on the performance of its lowest-achieving demographic group or of
the lowest-achieving schools in the state, whichever is higher. The state then sets the
bar--or level of student achievement--that a school must attain after two years in order to
continue to show adequate yearly progress. Subsequent thresholds must be raised at least
once every three years, until, at the end of 12 years, all students in the state are achieving
at the proficient level on state assessments in reading/language arts and math
(http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/reports/dropout/ftf/info.asp).
What if a school does not improve?
States and local school districts will aid schools that receive Title I funds in making
meaningful changes that will improve their performance. In the meantime, districts will
offer parents options for children in low-performing schools, including extra help to
children from low-income families (see section on Choice and Supplemental Educational
Services).
The No Child Left behind Act lays out an action plan and timetable for steps to be taken
when a Title I school fails to improve, as follows:
A Title I school that has not made adequate yearly progress, as defined by the state, for
two consecutive school years will be identified by the district before the beginning of the
next school year as needing improvement. School officials will develop a two-year plan
to turn around the school. The local education agency will ensure that the school receives
needed technical assistance as it develops and implements its improvement plan. Students
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must be offered the option of transferring to another public school in the district--which
may include a public charter school--that has not been identified as needing school
improvement (http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/reports/dropout/ftf/info.asp).
If the school does not make adequate yearly progress for three years, the school remains
in school-improvement status, and the district must continue to offer public school choice
to all students. In addition, students from low-income families are eligible to receive
supplemental educational services, such as tutoring or remedial classes, from a state-
approved provider. (http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/reports/dropout/ftf/info.asp).
If the school fails to make adequate progress for four years, the district must
implement certain corrective actions to improve the school, such as replacing certain staff
or fully implementing a new curriculum, while continuing to offer public school choice
and supplemental educational services for low-income students. If a school fails to make
adequate yearly progress for a fifth year, the school district must initiate plans for
restructuring the school. This may include reopening the school as a charter school,
replacing all or most of the school staff or turning over school operations either to the
state or to a private company with a demonstrated record of effectiveness
(http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/reports/dropout/ftf/info.asp).
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In addition, the law requires states to identify for improvement those local
education agencies that fail to make adequate yearly progress for two consecutive years
or longer and to institute corrective actions.
How teachers or schools that do well are rewarded?
No Child Left Behind requires states to provide state academic achievement awards to
schools that close achievement gaps between groups of students or that exceed academic
achievement goals. States may also use Title I funds to financially reward teachers in
schools that receive academic achievement awards. In addition, states must designate as
distinguished schools those that have made the greatest gains in closing the achievement
gap. (http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/reports/dropout/ftf/info.asp.
What can parents do to help their child's school succeed and meet the accountability
requirements? How does the law help parents become involved?
No Child Left Behind supports parent involvement because research overwhelmingly
demonstrates the positive effect that parent involvement has on their children's academic
achievement (Clark 1983; Comer 1980, 1988; Eccles, Arbreton, et al., 1993; Eccles-
Parsons, Adler and Kaczala 1982; Epstein 1983, 1984; Marjoribanks 1979 as cited in
Eccles and Harold 1996). In the event a school is identified as needing improvement,
corrective action or restructuring, the law requires the local education agency to notify
parents accordingly and to explain to them how they can become involved in school-
improvement efforts. In any event, the law requires the same agency to provide parents
with local report cards, which include data on each individual school in the district, as
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described earlier. Thus, parents have up-to-date information about their child's school,
which they can use in whatever manner they choose to be involved. Parents may help
their child's school in a number of ways, including: Attending parent-teacher meetings or
special meetings to address academic problems at the school; volunteering to serve as
needed; encouraging other parents to become involved; and learning about the school's
special challenges, community resources and the No Child Left behind Act. In addition,
parents should take advantage of the increased flexibility given local decision-makers by
No Child Left Behind and talk with their school board members, principals and other
state and local education leaders about which programs they think will help their students
the most (http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/reports/dropout/ftf/info.asp).
In addition, the law has other specific requirements on parent involvement that include
the following:
Each state education agency must support the collection and dissemination of information
on effective parent involvement practices to local education agencies and schools.
The law in Title I spells out specific measures that local education agencies and schools
receiving Title I funds must take to ensure parent involvement in significant areas,
including: overall planning at the district and school levels; written policies on parent
involvement at both levels; annual meetings; training; coordinating parent involvement
strategies among federal education programs (i.e., Title I, Head Start and Reading First);
and evaluating those strategies and revising them if needed.
Schools that have school wide programs must involve parents in developing plans for
such programs--that is, programs designed to raise the achievement of low-achieving
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students in high-poverty Title I schools by improving instruction throughout the entire
school (http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/reports/dropout/ftf/info.asp).
Conclusion
Children living in urban areas are faced with many issues. The exit exam is
mandatory in all schools. PTSD is prevalent in children living in crime rattled
environments. Each adult in a community is accountable for their behavior. Children look
at adults to definition in their own characters. It is important took look at each child
individually. Children dropout of school for various reasons. School should be a safe
productive environment for all children. Urban areas are faced with many different
circumstances that force children out. There are answers in this ongoing dilemma. Each
school has to be accountable for each child. Adolescents need their children in their
school environment. Children have to want to succeed, and role models help them
achieve their endeavors.
Reference page
Falconnier, Lydia; Elkin, Irene (2008 Jan)Addressing economic stress in the treatment of depression. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry: 2008 Jan Vol 78(1) 37-46.
Feldman, SandraThe War for Children (2005 Dec) Professional Psychology: Research and Practice. 2005 Dec Vol 36(6) 615-617 APA.Com.
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Corcoran, Walker, and White's 91988) Topical Synthesis #4 Educating Urban Minority Youth: Research on Effective Practices by Kathleen Cotton: School Improvement Research Series (SIRS).
U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings Announces No Child Left Behind "Differentiated Accountability" PilotProgram Will Invite up To Ten States to Create More Nuanced Ways of Evaluating Underperforming Schools (http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/reports/dropout/ftf/info.asp)
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