The higher education system in America is struggling to cope with the burning crisis of student dropouts. As per the reports of AD Council, an advertising firm that has been constantly addressing critical social issues, roughly 7,000 high school students dropout each day. It means that one in every three of our students stop going to school every day.
Neglecting studies seems to be catching on, for our children consider certain lifestyles better than attending school.
Why Students Drop Out
Had it only been the lack of diminishing interest in the courses taught in the high school grades, the educators could have single handedly solved the issue. Unfortunately the problem has hydrated further than expected.
According to statistics provided by Alison Kepner of THE NEWS JOURNAL, dropouts are comprised of students who are in dire need of a job, are convicted of petty crimes and serving their terms in prison, living in poverty, have been receiving government assistance through out their life and thus lack the urge to make a living of their own. Besides, health factors can also restrain a student from attending school. Complicated social issues can even play a major role in compelling a child to abandon school. Many of the students in high school have either started their own family, are recovering after divorce or are battling with circumstances as a single parent.
Keep an Eye on 9th and 10th Grade Students
Students at 9th and 10th grades consider school courses mundane and lose the enthusiasm to study further in the process. Some think that since they have been staying away from classes for a considerable amount of the academic year, they will find it difficult to cope with the course before the exams.
Reports suggest that 45% of the population have entered high school without having the aptitude for pursuing higher studies. They either have not been taught properly during the formative years, or somehow managed to get promoted in each class. Some don’t get adequately motivated to score high, and some find a job to support themselves- thus school courses get neglected.
Peer Pressure Contributes to Dropout Rate
One cannot rule out the aversive peer pressure which contributes in influencing adolescents to drop out. Our society is struggling with problems like drug abuse, crime and teen pregnancy and rape cases are on the rise. They will think that keeping away from school is ‘cool’.
The most prominent excuse is also related to the peer acceptance factor. Parents should keep a strict vigil on the groups of students their teens keep company with. It is often noticed, that a failed parent and child relationship give rise to notions of disorienting oneself from school programs. And it goes without saying that your child’s Xbox stations, the lap top, the iPod, chatting online the entire day lead to skipping school at the slightest pretext.
Students with learning disabilities if ignored throughout their academic life- are bound to drop out from senior high school. The problem with these children lay in their incapability to cope with the class room lectures. They lack proper cognitive orientation to grasp the instructions given by their teachers.
With crime rates on the rise, unwanted social circumstances affect the growing child in various ways. Street violence and campus problems lead students away from their classrooms. There are cases where adolescents have been victims of street fights, have been the pawns of negative influences and have finally ended up in prison.
Educators Play an Important Role
One of the alarming factors that contribute to high school drop out is racial discrimination practiced by the teaching faculty of institutions across the nation. According to studies, the rate of school dropout is higher among the Hispanic and the Latino community. Moreover students failing to show improvements in subjects like English and math find it difficult to manage higher studies or they fail to pass the entrance tests. Those who have a history of repeating middle school tend to transform into troubled dropouts.
Student Responsibilities
For many of the students school is an excuse to keep away from responsibilities. These pupils don’t attend school with the interest of learning new things; they want to stay away from unfortunate circumstances at home and conflicting parents. Some go to school just to skip tedious household chores. In fact, the learning ability of these students seldom show any kind of improvement and one tends to find them at the back of the class, and along with the rowdy groups bullying others. They somehow keep struggling with their grades through out the formative years, and finally quit before even graduating and getting a diploma or a degree.
School courses are often rigid. The subject options according to some high school dropouts are not flexible. Under the circumstances they are forced to take alternatives that don’t impress them. Finally in the long run they are forced to stop pursuing their courses.
Related Articles and Resources
Dropouts Absent From Graduation
Teenage Troubles Lead to School Dropout
Additional information about teenagers and the high school years at High School Mediator. Receive our free guide, A Parent’s Guide to Teenage Issues in the High School.
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