What to Do About the 20,594 High School Drop Outs?

Twenty thousand, five hundred ninety four students out of 140,044 total students dropped out in 2008 according to the eSchool News article published on June 2, 2010. I never would have thought that the numbers would have been that high and I was utterly speechless when I read that statistic. That is 20,594 individuals that chose to make life harder than what it already can be. How sad! And while I applaud the state for taking a step to reduce that number and generate alternatives for those students who want to drop out, I also find the topic to be a double-edged sword. I do not think the dropout rate is that high solely because of the educational system. There are several other factors that influence the end result of a drop out and not all of those factors are controllable – even if a plan is established.

Now, I realize this is only my third year teaching and I am by no means an expert on everything that occurs within the educational system, but I strongly disagree with the third paragraph that talks about schools pushing out students that are failing to raise test averages and graduation rates. In the district that I work in, we put forth a huge effort to assist struggling students at the high school. First of all, based on some preliminary testing done at all grade levels in the fall (PLAN, Explore, practice ACT, Student Achievement Model probes, etc.) struggling students are pulled out anywhere between 1 and 3 days a week to work on weak academic areas (with reading skills be the weakest area) with a certified paraprofessional. Additionally, we offer support classes as elective courses for those students that struggle in certain academic areas, we have after school homework support available Monday – Thursday every week, we have peer counseling and tutoring for those students that work better with their peers than with adults, we have a Positive Behavior System (PBS) in place to reward those students that are either doing what they should be or those who are making improvements, etc. These things are only a few examples of what goes on in our building above and beyond what the individual teachers and guidance counseling staff do. I know myself, some of the coaches and some of my colleagues also try to “adopt” some students that we have built strong reports with and keep an eye on their progress to provide encouragement/positive feedback that the student may be lacking from their home environment. We may not be doing everything we could be or have all of the answers to save every potential dropout however I do not feel as though we “push” our students out to raise test scores.

I also think that home environments play a huge role in student achievement or lack thereof. Poor attendance, behavioral issues and lack of work ethic usually stems from home. As a newer teacher, I think this was the biggest shocker I had to learn to work with. Growing up in a home environment that was not broken and with parents that expected I make the honor roll every time and encouraged my siblings and I to become active members of athletic teams, 4-H, student council, BPA, DECA, FFA, Drafting competitions, etc, I found it hard accept that some parents can’t even tell you where their child goes after school (they just have to be home by 8:30 p.m.!) let alone be able to support them academically. I do not have the answer to resolve the issue, but I do think there should be a way to make the parents somehow responsible as well.

On a less negative and defensive note, I do think it is a good thing to try to come up with alternative ways to appeal to those students that do not function well in a standard educational setting. After all, the same recipe does not work for every student. Ideas such as raising the drop out age to 18 are good first steps (as long as those students who do not want to be there are not hindering the learning of their peers). With regards to the Westwood School set up, who funds the technology? If this continues to move forward, how will the state handle the cohort numbers for students that enter into the alternative program? Is the Westwood set up the same as alternative education? What will the criteria be to enroll students in this program – will it be based on attendance? Behavioral patterns? Failure records? Does the state fear “average” students might try to drop out so they too can be admitted into this Westwood-type school? Will interventions be designed for the high school level or primarily for the early grades?