Roshini Saravanakumar

ISM- Period 7
"Facing the School Dropout Dilemma." Http://www.apa.org. The American Psychological Association, 1 Jan.
2011. Web. 3 Nov. 2014. <http://www.apa.org/pi/families/resources/school-dropout-prevention.aspx>.

Most of the 1.3 million students who drop out of school are of color
Education is the major tool by which a citizen in a pluralistic society can better their
economic, social, and personal standing.
A high drop out rate decreases the pool of possible professional and political job holders.
The US Department of Education and the National Center for Education Statistics stated that
18-67 year olds who dropped out from high school made around $25,000 in 2009.
2.4% of Whites, 4.8% of African Americans, and 5.8% of Latinos are dropping out of
school- older students are at a greater risk for this than younger students.
Students from low income families are five times more likely to drop out than students from
high income families.
High School that only graduate 60% or less of their students are referred to as dropout
factories- they produce half of the nations dropout, and 75% of all minority dropouts.
Many dropout factories are found in specifically poverty stricken states- the schools that
were highlighter make up only 12% of the nations total high schoolers, but produce 50% of
the nations dropouts.
While dropout factories have started to decline, there are still about 1, 746 of them in the
country.
Around 42% of Hispanics, 43% of African Americans, 46% of Native Americans, 17% of
Asians, and 22% of Whites dont graduate on time.
When students from ethnic minorities attend schools in middle or upper class areas, their
dropout rates coincide with those of Caucasians.
There are many risk factors that contribute to dropouts- problems related to individuals,
families, schools, and communities.
Individual issues include truancy, lack of interest, poor attitude, etc.
Familial issues include low-income, lack of parental involvement, abuse, etc.
School related issues include negative climate, low expectations, few opportunities, etc.
Community related issues include high crime neighborhood, lack of community support for
schools, etc.
Risk factors that a child faces usually peak in high school, so in order to decrease numbers, it
is necessary to begin prevention as early as pre-school.
Early childhood is a critical time for kids in which 90% of brain development occurs, and is
when children are most vulnerable to poverty, malnutrition, trauma, or parental depression.
Students that receive high quality education show higher levels of achievement later on and
require fewer special education programs.
The windows in which children are targeted include from birth to three years of age,
preschool, and kindergarten- this can help students enter with good language, thinking, and
conceptualizing skills.
This article from the American Psychological Association provides an extensive look at the
types of children who are not reaching their potential in high school and looks at specific
ways to treat the problem in ways that are specialized for each at-risk group.