High School Dropout RetentionMary K. Kirk

November 29, 2006

Objectives

• To familiarize with statistics about graduation dropout and retention

• To learn warning signs of at-risk youth

• To learn when kids leave school

• To understand what can be done to prevent students from leaving school

Who Drops Out of School?

• According to the Department of Education, the dropout rates are as follows:

• Native American Students (12.2%)

• Hispanic Students (7.8%)

• African American Students (6.5%)

• Caucasian Students (4.0%)

Conflicting Numbers About Graduation Rates

• According to Dr. Lawrence Mishel of the Economic Policy Institute, the dropout rate is roughly nine out of eleven (82-83%). However, the dropout rate among minorities is three out of four (75%).

• This is based on 4,000,000 that could have graduated in 2003. However, only 2,700,000 actually graduated.

Racial Gap• The racial gap has

improved but we still have a long way to go.

• In the 1960s, only 40 percent of African American Students graduated with a high school diploma. Now we have doubled that.

• There are many different formulas to compute dropout rates. However, the ballpark estimates are roughly accurate.

To Include GED?

• There is now a movement to include GED graduates as part of the graduation rate.

• GED graduates have the same opportunities that high school graduates have:– Enter college

– Join military

– Obtain job/job training

To Include GED?

• However, many of the

same problems stay

with them after

completing the GED.

Including all of the GED

graduates in graduation

rates would be

misleading.

Who Is At Risk?

• Repeat One or More Grades

• Low Socioeconomic

Background

• Speak English as a Second

Language

• Become Pregnant or Make

Someone Pregnant

• Frequently Absent/Truant

Top 10 Reasons Kids Leave School

1. Poor Attendance

2. Enter GED Program

3. Employment

4. Low or Failing Grades

5. Age

6. To Get Married

7. Pregnancy

8. Suspension/Expulsion

9. Did Not Meet Graduation Requirements

10. Enter Alternative Program (i.e. Job Corps)

When Do Kids Leave School?

• Between the ages of 15 to 17 years of age

• According to Arkansas law, all students must be enrolled in school somewhere until the age of 18. They can enter a GED program at the age of 16 with the consent of both district and parent.

• However, many use home schooling rules to get around mandatory education.

My Experience

• Students enter GED programs after they reach the age of 16 in the state of Arkansas.

• Many of these students have the same experiences:

•

Truant/absence

s

• In trouble at

school/do not

fit in

• Not

passing/not

going to

graduate

• Retained at

• In trouble with the

law

• FINS cases

• Pregnant or have

child on the way

• Poor

• Mental health

issues

• Employment

Grouping Reasons

I group the reasons students leave school into three major classifications:

Social

• Juvenile Delinquency

• FINS

• Drugs

• Mental Health Issues

School

• Absences/Truant

• In trouble/do not fit in

• Not passing/not going to

graduate

• Retained at least one

yearFamily

• Pregnant or have child on

way

• Poor

• Employment

Social Issues

Juvenile Delinquency• Innovation

• Retreatism

• Ritualism

• Conformity

• RebellionFINS• Control

• Parental responsibility

• Abuse

Drugs• Rise in drug use

• Acceptance of drug use

Mental Health Issues• Diagnosed mental health issues

• Undiagnosed mental health issues

School IssuesAbsences/Truant• Lack of parent control

• Students do not want to be there

• Students do not feel safe

In trouble/do not fit in• Problems with discipline

• Feel like outcasts/bullying

Not passing/not going to graduate• Not enough credits

• Not passing and do not want to fail

Retained at least one year• Are behind and will reach 19 or 20 before

graduate

• No structured programs to catch up

Family Issues

Pregnant or have child on way

Throw-away Children/Kindling Theory

Poor• Children as possessions

• Society/school is “against them.”

• Cannot afford to go to school

Employment• Must have job to contribute to family

• Need job to “escape” family

Need to Improve Middle School Transition

• Most students drop out at critical transition points.

• Research shows that students who participate in programs that help them transition from middle school were less likely to drop out.

• Maryland schools have instituted schools-within-schools, 9th grade academies, smaller learning communities, and other strategies (Legters & Kerr 2001).

What Can Be Done to Prevent Dropping Out?

• Service learning

• Conflict resolution

• Out-of-school experiences

• Community collaboration

• Family involvement

• Reading and writing programs

• Individualized instruction

• Mentoring/tutoring

• Learning style/multiple intelligence strategies

• Career education/workforce readiness

15 identified Strategies - National Dropout Prevention

• Systemic renewal

• Professional development

• Early childhood education

• Alternative schooling

• Instructional technologies

What Can Be Done to Prevent Dropping Out?

• Organization/administration

• School climate

• Service delivery/instruction

• Instructional content/curriculum

• Staff/teacher culture

Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory has characteristics of successful dropout prevention programs (Woods 1999):

The Most Important Tool To Prevent Dropout

• YOU

• Mentoring is critical to keeping students in school.

• The student must have someone that he or she can identify with.

• The students who leave school (dropout) normally have lost hope in his or her school success.

Methods Used in GED to Retain

Remember important dates in the

students’ lives

• Birthdays

• Christmas

• Illness in student and family

• Let the students know how much you

care

• McDonalds, Pizza Hut, etc. will give free

stuff that you can give to students

• A handwritten note to let the student

know that you were thinking of them can

really make a difference.

Methods Used in GED to Retain

Self-addressed and stamped postcards

• The student can send new address

• If the student feels the connection, he or she will

keep in touch.

• The students want their birthday cards. You

might be the only person who remembers their

birthday. This happens more often than you

would think

Methods Used in GED to Retain

Communication, Communication, Communication

• Calls whenever the student is not there, not just the call to alert the parent that he or she is absent.

• Cards to let student know you are thinking about him or her.

• The students need to feel important to someone. Make yourself that person. Be respectful and keep the communication lines open. The students who come to me know that I will always be up front and honest with

them. This means a great deal to them.

Conclusion

• There are many things that can be done to retain students.

• However, most of the solutions are administrative changes and are beyond what a counselor or teacher can do.

• Becoming a trusted mentor is the most cost effective and successful strategy that can be effective.

• Mary’s story.