"Strategies to Help Solve Our School Dropout Problem"
There is no
greater educational loss than a student who dropouts out of school prior to
graduation. Unlike previous generations
students who fail to graduate are not easily absorbed into the economy.
With
each dropout, our nation ultimately suffers losses of tax revenue, gainful employment,
and heightened costs of welfare, as well as elevated drug and alcohol use and
the increased likelihood of incarceration.
According to Census Bureau estimates, each high school dropout earns
$18,900 per year. The average high
school graduate earns $23,400 per year.( A difference
of $4500). Jobs for high school
graduates have been decreasing since 1999.
If high school dropouts had completed high school they would increase their
lifetime earnings by $200,000. (The Big
Payoff: Educational Attainment and
Synthetic Estimates of Work-Life Earnings, July 2002)
High
School graduates earn 70% more than dropouts do. Those who hold bachelor degrees earn more
than 2 1/2 times more than dropouts.
Dropouts earn one quarter of those with a Masters degree. Not
surprisingly, eighty-two percent of
Dropping
out (leaving school before graduation) is not a new phenomenon. Studies indicate that in 1900
Dropouts
today are more likely to:
go
to prison;
be
on welfare;
commit
crimes;
be
single parents,
join
gangs.
But there are answers. The
THE 15 EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES EXPLAINED
(Developed by the
Early Interventions
Early Childhood Education
Birth-to-three interventions demonstrate
that providing a child educational enrichment can modify IQ. The most effective way to reduce the number
of children who will ultimately drop out is to provide the best possible
classroom instruction from the beginning of their school experience.
Family
Involvement
Research consistently finds that family
involvement has a direct, positive effect on children'[s achievement and is the
most accurate predictor of a student's success in school.
Reading
& Writing Programs
Early interventions to help low-achieving
students recognize that focusing on reading and writing skills is the
foundation for effective learning in all subjects.
The Basic Core Strategies
Mentoring/Tutoring
Mentoring is a one-to-one caring,
supportive relationship between a mentor and a mentee
that is based on trust. Tutoring, also a one-to-one activity,
focuses on academics and is an effective way to address specific needs such as
reading, writing, or math competencies.
Service Learning
Service learning connects meaningful
community service experiences with academic learning. This teaching/learning
method promotes personal and social growth, career development, and civic
responsibility and can be a powerful vehicle for effective school reform at all
grade levels.
Alternative Schooling
Alternative schooling provides potential
dropouts a variety of options that can lead to graduation, with programs paying
special attention to the students’ individual social needs and the academic
requirements for a high school diploma.
Out-of-School Enhancement
Many schools provide after-school and
summer enhancement programs that eliminate information loss and inspire
interest in a variety of areas. Such experiences are especially important for
students at risk of school failure.
Making the Most of Instruction
No sustained and comprehensive effort to
keep students in school can afford to ignore what happens in the classroom.
Strategies that produce better teachers, expand teaching methods to accommodate
a range of learning styles, take advantage of today’s cornucopia of
technological resources, and meet the individual needs of each student can
yield substantial benefits.
Professional Development
Teachers who work with
youth at high risk of academic failure need to feel supported and need to have
an avenue by which they continue to develop skills, techniques, and learn about
innovative strategies.
Openness to Diverse Learning Styles and Multiple
Intelligences
When educators show students that there
are different ways to learn, students find new and creative ways to solve
problems, achieve success, and become lifelong learners.
Instructional Technologies
Technology
offers some of the best opportunities for delivering instruction that engages
students in authentic learning, addresses multiple intelligences, and adapts to
student’s learning styles.
Individualized Instruction
A
customized individual learning program for each student allows teachers
flexibility with the instructional program and extracurricular activities.
Making the Most of the Wider Community
Students
who come to school bring traces of a wider community; when students leave
school, either before or after graduation, they return to that community. It’s
impossible to isolate “school” within the walls of the school building.
Effective efforts to keep students in school take advantage of these links with
the wider community.
Systemic Renewal
Systemic
renewal calls for a continuing process of evaluating goals and objectives
related to school policies, practices, and organizational structures as they
impact a diverse group of learners.
Community Collaboration
When
all groups in a community provide collective support to the school, a strong
infrastructure sustains a caring environment where youth can thrive and
achieve.
Career Education and Workforce Readiness
A
quality guidance program is essential for all students. School-to-work programs
recognize that youth need specific skills to prepare them for the larger
demands of today’s workplace.
Conflict Resolution and Violence Prevention
A comprehensive violence prevention plan,
including conflict resolution, must deal with potential violence as well as
crisis management. Violence prevention means providing daily experiences at all
grade levels that enhance positive social attitudes and effective interpersonal
skills in all students.
Adapted from Strategies To Help Solve Our School
Dropout Problem© Franklin P. Schargel & Jay Smink, Eye on Education, Inc.