It is disturbing that high school drop out rates continue to rise in
The issue of having little motivation to do well in school is alarming. If parents, teachers and school administrators can help students realize the importance of graduating high school, I believe that students would become more motivated to do well in school. Some facts that I feel would help motivate some students would be to inform them that those who drop out are more likely than those who graduate high school to be unemployed, live in poverty, be in prison, and be single parents of children who also drop out of high school.
So could one reason for little motivation also have to do with students not finding the classes interesting or stimulating enough? In order for adults to expect students to do well in school, I feel that it is vital that teachers are able to keep the students’ attention. If students do not find the curriculum interesting they are less likely to pay attention, do well and more than likely be less motivated to come to class or do well in the class. We cannot expect students to pay attention when the material is not related or interesting to them in any way.
Other prevalent issues that many drop outs say contributed to them quitting school was little parental involvement and or students were failing high school. Many say their parents didn’t get involved in their education until they were close to dropping out. I think it is partially the responsibility of the parents to keep their children in school. If there is little help and motivation from the parents part, the children are less likely to see the importance of graduating from high school. Those students that were failing school either missed too many days of school or were not academically prepared for high school. They felt that help such as tutoring was not available to them. Many of these students also felt that what they were taught in elementary and middle school did not properly prepare them for high school which led them to fall behind in school work and eventually drop out.
With all this said, I do not believe that finding classes boring is an excuse for dropping out of high school. If there is a problem students should feel that they are able to talk to their teachers and school administrators about what can be changed. There needs to be more resources for students such as tutoring or after school activities that involve learning. Parents should be more involved in their students’ academic lives and be more encouraging. Finally, teachers and administrators need to find ways to best help their students from dropping out, whether that be changing their curriculum, the way they teach the curriculum or asking the students what they would find most helpful. I believe the more students are involved in the curriculum they are inclined to pay attention and the less they can say it is boring because it is what they wanted.
Additional Links:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2006-03-01-dropouts-expectations_x.htm
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/05/05/dropout.rate.study/index.html
http://www.courant.com/news/education/hc-drop-out-rates-1020.artoct20,0,668220.story
High school dropout rate on the rise
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ReplyDeleteThe high school dropout rate is disturbing and needs to be dealt with. The reviewer of the article mentions that the increasing rates may be because of low motivation, being unprepared academically, and not enough parental support. These factors do influence whether students stay in school but there are other factors that need to be addressed as well. Such factors include learned helplessness and poverty.
ReplyDeleteA solution the reviewer suggested was stressing the importance of graduating by sharing scary facts. I do not think the fear tactic will work. Many high school students believe their reasons for dropping out are unique to them and they will be fine without a high school education. Plus, it is a circular argument because many students dropout because of poverty, crime, and teenage pregnancy. For example, students may have to get a job to help support their family and thereby not have the time for school. To combat these reasons for dropping out I agree their needs to be more resources from the school and community for the students.
Another solution suggested was having more tutoring available so students did not fall as far behind. This is a reactive solution. A preventative approach is far more effective but it is also much harder to implement. We have discussed in class the difficulty in changing the education system because of the hierarchy, traditions, and social implications. A complete overhaul may not be possible but changes do need to be made so that students are more academically prepared and are able to succeed academically. Failure is a predictor of dropping out of school.
Also, students should take personal responsibility for their education. In September President Obama gave a speech to schoolchildren urging them make, goals and stay in school. This idea resonates with when the reviewer mentioned that students should be able to talk to their teachers and school administrators about what should be changed. If students do not feel stimulated academically or are uninterested in class not attending will not lead to changes. Being proactive may. Research has concluded that those who are involved in the planning and decision making process are more engaged and I hypothesize that this will generalize to education.
Dropping out of high school is an epidemic in America and steps needs to be taken to reduce the percentage of students who do not complete high school. Ad Campaign, such as the Ad Council’s high school drop out commercials and print ads, will not be successful alone. They need to be combined with changes in individual’s actions, community changes, and transformation in the organization of the education system.