THW Drop Student Out Of School

Dropping out means leaving a group for either practical reasons, necessities or disillusionment with
the system from which the individual in question leaves.
Most commonly, dropping out refers to a student quitting school before he or she graduates. It cannot
always be ascertained that a student has dropped out, as he or she may stop attending without
terminating enrollment. It is estimated 1.2 million students annually dropout of high school in the
[1]
United States, where high school graduation rates rank 19th in the world. Reasons are varied and
may include: to find work, avoid bullying, family emergency, poor grades, depression, unexpected
pregnancy, bad environment, lack of freedom, and boredom from lack of lessons relevant to the world
[2]
of work. The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives of High School Dropouts by Civic Enterprises explores
reasons students leave school without graduating. The consequences of dropping out of school can
have long-term economic and social repercussions. Students who drop out of school in the United
[3]
States are more likely to be unemployed, homeless, receiving welfare and incarcerated. A four-year
[4]
study in San Francisco found that 94 percent of young murder victims were high school dropouts.
In the 1960s, "dropping out" was used to mean withdrawing from established society, especially
because of disillusionment with conventional values. It is a term commonly associated with the
1960s counterculture and with hippies and communes. See Turn on, tune in, drop out.

While the nation focuses on whether or not students reach proficiency, there is one group of
studentsalmost one-third of all public high school studentsfor whom these goals fail to apply.
These are the students who drop out of school. Unfortunately, that number includes students with
disabilities. In the 2001-2002 school year, nearly 80,000 students with disabilities dropped out of
high school, according to the 26th Annual Report to Congress.
In its report, The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives of High School Drop Outs, Civic Enterprises surveyed
and interviewed young people aged 16-25 who identified themselves as high school drop outs. The
report states that most high school students leave school with less than two years to complete their
high school education; and while some have experienced significant academic challenges, most are
students who could have succeeded in school. Contrary to popular belief, most of the students, 70
percent, were confident that they could have graduated, and 81 percent recognized that graduating
from high school was essential to their success, says the report. While the reasons students drop out
vary, the general categories are consistent.
Students who drop out face a bleak future. Dropouts are more likely to be unemployed, live in
poverty, receive public assistance, become incarcerated, are unhealthy, and become divorced and
single parents with children who drop out from high school themselves, according to the report.
Affirmative :
1. The Reasons Students Give for Dropping Out
The students gave various reasons for dropping out, which include lack of connection to the
school, a perception that school is boring, feeling unmotivated, academic challenges, and
personal situations, says the report. The primary reason nearly half of the young adults gave
for dropping out was that classes were uninteresting. Another major factor was that the
students spent time with people who were uninterested in school. These were among the
top reasons selected by students with high GPAs and those who were motivated to work
hard.

In general, feeling unmotivated or uninspired to work hard was a significant factor in the
drop outs discontent with school. In focus groups, the young adults said school was boring,
they didnt learn anything, and school was irrelevant. However, many of these respondents
said they would have liked to have been inspired. Further, while a majority said their
schools graduation requirements were difficult, 66 percent said they would have worked
harder if more, including higher academic standards and more studying and homework, had
been demanded of them to earn a diploma. Some of the young adults dropped out of school
because of real life events: they had to get a job, became a parent, or had to care for a
family member. Many of these individuals said they had done reasonably well in school and
believed they could have graduated. Of all those surveyed, members of this group were
most likely to say they would have worked harder if their schools had demanded more of
them and provided the necessary support. A third of the young adults said they dropped
out because they were failing. Some said they could not keep up with course work, while
others said they missed too many days and could not catch up. The majority of these survey
respondents said it was difficult to pass from one grade to the next and the graduation
requirements were too difficult, according to the report. These young adults also said tests
were too hard, and teachers werent available for extra help. Further, the most
academically challenged students were the most likely to say their school did not do enough
to help students who had difficulty understanding the material. They also doubted that they
would have worked harder had more been expected of them.
2. Potential Drop Outs Disengage from School
There are warning signs that students are at risk of dropping out of school, with absenteeism
being the most common indicator of student disengagement and a significant predictor of
dropping out. Other warning signs include: low grades, discipline and behavior problems,
lack of involvement in class and school activities, pregnancy, being held back a grade or
more, students who transfer from another school, and those who experience difficulty with
the 9th grade transition year, says the report. Nearly 38 percent of the young adults said the
freedom students enjoy in high school contributed to their disengagement. In addition to it
being too easy to skip class or join in activities outside of school, too much freedom
included the schools lack of order, discipline and rules; failure to ensure students attend
class; and inability to help students feel safe.
3. Parents Are Not Involved in Their Childrens Education
The young adults said that more parental involvement may have prevented their dropping
out. While 59 percent of their parents were involved in their childrens schooling, more than
half of those were involved mainly for discipline reasons, according the report.
Furthermore, the majority of parents were unaware or just somewhat aware of their childs
grades or that they were about to leave school. Nearly half of the respondents said their
parents work schedule kept them from knowing more about what was happening at
school. While 68 percent said their parents got more involved when they realized their child
was likely to drop out, by then it was too late. Poor communication between the school and
parents was another contributor to students dropping out. Only about half of the
respondents said the school contacted the home if they were absent; and only 48 percent of
the dropouts said their school contacted them or their parents to find out why they left
school or encourage them to return.

4. The third cause is related to social issue. This includes students environments at
school and at home. Bullying is the major part that students commonly experienced
with their senior or their own friends; as a result, the students who cannot defend
their self will think that there is no use to keep staying at school, therefore they
decide to move to other schools or even worse they stop studying. The other

problem that engenders the social issue at school is juvenile delinquency, such as
drugs, drinking, parties, and smoking. These obviously forced students to leave
school at early time in order to avoid those kinds of problems. Social factor here not
only the social environment at school but also the environment where the students
live.
Factors that Lead to Dropping Out
If community members are to get involved in the dropout problem, they should be aware of the
kinds of factors that place children at risk of dropping out. Youth Transitions research findings
based on surveys, interviews and focus groups with Boston-area students, parents, teachers and
youth service providers show that many factors are at work in the decision to dropout:
The relationship between students and teachers are the most important factor in students
school experience, whether positive or negative. (BYTF 2006)
The disruptiveness of peers in school causes students to feel distracted and unsafe, leading to
increased chance of dropping out. (BYTF 2006)
The pace of instruction is an important reason youth give for leaving school students who
need extra attention and dont receive it are likely to dropout. (BYTF 2006)
Personal problems cause youth to leave school if they do not have a trusted adult from whom
they can seek help. (BYTF 2006)
Students in small alternative programs appreciate the increased attention and the opportunity
to work at their own pace. (BYTF 2006)
Weak academic skills can cripple efforts to recover dropouts in second chance programs
unless they receive even more attention from community volunteers. (BYTF 2006)
Economic needs can compete with pursuing education after dropping out. (BYTF 2006)
Students who come from single parent families, have a mother who dropped out of high
school, have parents who provide low support for learning, or have parents who do not know
their friends parents well are also all at a higher risk of dropping out than other students.
(BYTF 2006)

Negative :
1. In order for the community to intervene and help dropouts, community members must
know what dropouts, themselves, think about their situation. Civic Enterprises recently
interviewed dropouts and asked them what they thought would have improved their ability
to finish school. Responses indicated that clear supports provided within a school
environment and also from the community would improve a potential dropouts chance for
staying in school. Dropouts said that the following could help them:
Improve teaching and curricula to enhance the connection between school and
work. 81% of dropouts said there should be more opportunities for real-world learning so
that students can see the connection between school and getting a job. (Civic Enterprises
2006)
Improve access to support for struggling students. 81% of dropouts surveyed wanted
better teachers. 75% wanted smaller classes. 70% believed that more tutoring, summer
school and extra time with teachers would have improved their chances of graduating. (Civic
Enterprises 2006)
Foster academics. 70% of dropouts said that increasing supervision in school and 62%
said more classroom discipline was necessary to ensure success. 57% said that their schools
did not do enough to help students feel safe from violence. (Civic Enterprises 2006)
Promote close relationships with adults. Only 41% of dropouts reported having someone
to talk to about personal problems. 62% said they would like to see schools do more to help
students with problems outside of class. Only 47% said the schools even bothered to contact
them after they dropped out. (Civic Enterprises 2006)

2. Verse 1: Every citizen has the right to education

Verse 2: Every citizen is obliged to follow the basic education and

the governmentmust pay for it
verse 3: The Government shall establish and conduct a national education
system, which increases the faith and piety and noble character in the context of the
intellectual life of the nation, governed by the laws
How to Help Students Stay in School
While most students who dropped out blamed themselves, some provided recommendations for
practices that could have induced them to stay, including:

Improve teaching and curricula to make school more relevant and engaging and enhance the
connection between school and work. Eighty-one percent of the survey respondents said that if
schools had provided opportunities for real-world learning (internships, service learning
projects, and other opportunities), it would have improved their chances of graduating from
high school.

Improve instruction and access to supports for struggling students. A large majority of the
respondents, 81 percent, wanted better teachers, while three-fourths wanted smaller classes
with more individualized instruction. Additionally, 55 percent said more should be done to help
students who had difficulty learning.

Build a school climate that fosters academics. The respondents said more supervision and
discipline in school was necessary. In focus groups, the young adults said the many disruptions in
class prevented them from doing homework or paying attention in class.

Ensure strong adult-student relationships in the school. The respondents craved and
appreciated attention from teachers, not just for school work but also for personal problems.
Only a little over half said they could go to a staff person for school problems and less than half
had someone in school to talk with about personal problems. Sixty-two percent of the
respondents said their school needed to do more to help students with problems beyond
school.

Improve communication between parents and schools. Approximately 70 percent of those

surveyed said better communication between school and parents and increased parental
involvement in their childs education are essential to keeping students in school.