Throughout our nation we are facing a multitude of different problems found in economies, schools and homes. Our nation’s main concern and biggest problem is Students dropping out of school. We find it happening in every city, every state and all over our nation. More than 7,200 kids on average drop out of school each year. As the years go by, the average begins to grow larger. Nevada has the worst high-school dropout rate in the nation and ranks 33rd in the nation overall, since 2000, the state has seen an increase in the percentage.
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This is becoming a very common problem throughout our nation. The national dropout rate has now reached 7 percent. “Whatever economic recovery we have now, it’s not trickled down. It’s not a true economic recovery for kids,”(Beavers). Nevada’s dropout rate stayed at 4. 2 percent during the 2010-2011 school years (Department of Education). Although just Nevada’s statewide graduation rate for 2010-2011 was 70. 3 percent. Nevada’s rapid growth and migratory population are other factors in its high dropout rate. Statistically only one fourth of students who enter high school this year will not earn a diploma.
About 72. percent, or 16,979, of graduates in Nevada received a standard diploma and 16. 7 percent, or 3,922 students, earned an advanced diploma. “While someone may want to argue the methodology being used, the bottom line is there are too many dropouts, and that’s a challenge we can’t ignore,” (Superintendent Paul Dugan). Reasons for dropping out of school vary between what is happening in the student’s school, home, love and even social life. Dropping out always has a terrible misfortune for the students throughout life. Race also plays a role in dropping out as well. Almost half a million African American teenager’s, dropout of school each year.
Most will end up unemployed by their mid-30s. Six out of ten black male dropouts will spend time in jail. Dropouts are more likely to commit suicide, abuse drugs and alcohol, become teenage parents, live in poverty and commit crimes. The single biggest reason young women dropout of school is pregnancy. Latinas have the highest teen pregnancy rates of any other racial or ethnic group; 41% of Latinas leave high school because they get pregnant. These young women often end up with very few job skills, more pregnancies, and dependability on unreliable and sometimes violent men. Students are also more likely to drop out if they ave a sibling who did so (Rumberger and Lim).
Characteristics of schools also play a role in whether students dropout. Students have said their reasons for dropping out include: They were failing in school, and couldn’t catch up; Had missed too many days of school; Became a parent; or they had to take care of a family member (Bridgeland, Dilulio, and Morison). Impacts on their future include hard economic times, many of them find that not having a diploma puts them at the end of the employment line. Over a lifetime, a high school dropout will earn $200,000 less than a high school graduate and almost $1 million less than a college graduate.
Someone who did not complete high school will earn about $630,000 less over their lifetime compared to someone who has earned at least a GED (National Center for Education Statistics). So for those who dropout they will eventually reach hard times throughout their life compared to those who had graduated. Most schools throughout our nation and also throughout Nevada are addressing the problem. It seems that at the bottom of discussions of most teachers’ evaluations, school assessments and standardized testing the focus is on how to close achievement gaps and enhance the performance of the bottom 5 percent of schools and students.
Continued emphasis must be on reading and mathematics, and on the need for teachers and staff to develop closer relationships with students,” (Dugan). Dropout prevention strategies vary widely. Prevention begins partly by identifying struggling students early and targeting them for assistance, looking for infrequent attendance, behavior infractions, as well as course failure (Balfanz, Bridgeland, Moore & Fox). “The transiency rate has slowed. Not as many people have left. More have stayed,” says Keith Rheault. High School dropouts are a very large problem throughout the nation.
It can easily affect students emotionally, psychologically and financially for the students who left school at a young age. These Students are struggling to get employed due to them not receiving their High school diploma or even having a GED. Not graduating impacts their lives by them not getting employed and them earning less money compared to either a high school graduate or even a college graduate. Addressing the Problem varies between many different strategies. Identifying struggling early and targeting them for assistance will help them very much but just that won’t prevent them from dropping out.
We have set out to examine more things to help prevent students from dropping out of High School. But until then, many teachers and school districts will still attempt to decrease the amount of high school dropouts that occur throughout our nation. The effects of dropping out impacts the students who do so really hard. It takes away their chances of getting descent jobs, and staying out of trouble especially with the law. Thus, these students will not be strong, more intelligent and more experienced when compared to a student who had graduated.
Our nation needs to think of new activities or programs to help these struggling students. I believe that if we do this then the high school dropout rate will most certainly decrease through the years.
