The Importance Of High School Dropouts

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Every day more than seven thousand students will drop out of school and nearly thirteen million students per year will make this decision for various reasons. (Johnson, Dodor, Woods, & Slack, 2013) These numbers are staggering. As a result of students leaving school prior to high school graduation, they are not adequately prepared for real life. Many of these high school dropouts will suffer financial woes and end up on state and federal services. Johnson, Dodor, Woods, and Slack (2013), state; the dropouts in 2006 cost taxpayers an estimated seventeen billion dollars in Medicaid and uninsured medical expenses alone over their lifetime. The dropout rate is a plague that affects nearly every region of our nation. Across our country, there are approximately nine hundred to one thousand high schools where the graduation rate is lucky to be 50/50. (Balfanz & Legters, 2004) Unfortunately, dropping out is the norm in many of these high schools. This epidemic is a problem that must be addressed across the country. Numerous students enter the school system already at-risk. As a result of their capricious background they are ill prepared and will struggle with academics and behavior throughout their school years. Students who are at-risk are very capable of learning and finding success in school, never the less; somewhere in their background they have failed to develop the necessary skills and knowledge to excel in education. At-risk students are just that, at-risk of failing, and are really “at-promise” kids. As Harry Wong explains, most at-promise students are failing because they have not been taught academic procedures such as: how to take notes, how to read a book, how to do homework, how to study for a test, and etc. (Wong & Wong, 2009) Being at-risk really has nothing to do with skin color, origin, socioeconomic background but instead these missing skills. Furthermore, at-risk students require the same skills for success as a student who is not at-risk for failure. Therefore, “in most cases, programs designed to meet the needs of middle school students who are at-risk of failing are also the best programs for all middle school students.” (Manning & Bucher, 2012) The difference between the two types of students is, at-risk students may require more individualized academic attention and they will require additional help building their self-esteem in order to achieve academic success. Programs designed to give individualized attention to students are excellent options for helping at-risk middle school students. Many districts have begun to implement at-risk or alternative programs. …show more content…
These programs come in many forms such as Alternative schools, after school programs, mentoring programs, and school-within-a-school programs. No matter what type of program is chosen, they are used to help at-risk students stay in school by providing them with support, relationships, attention to specific needs, developing social skills, and much more. However, I believe it is important not to wait until high school to assist these students, but instead schools should intercept them at the middle school levels. Because of the volatile nature of middle school students, schools should begin to develop and implement programs to assist these students in need. According Forest Jones, middle school students are still open to positive influences, therefore; caring adults can still make a difference in their lives. (Jones, 2011). Programs focused on at-risks students have been proven to increase grades, change attitudes about school, and help students stay in school. Rachel Herzog explains that school-site mentoring programs help increase math and reading skills as well as change the attitude towards schools. (Herzog, 2012) Theresa Kilmer did a study of two alternative middle schools and many of the students …show more content…
Mentors can be adults that are not related to the school or they can include teacher mentors, but either way they appear to be successful. “Mentoring is time-proven strategies that can help kids of all circumstances achieve their potential”. (Herzog, 2012) By developing one-on-one relationships with responsible adults, students can receive support, counseling, friendships, and role models. Many students have developed anti-social behavior as a result of their backgrounds. Rachel Herzog explains in her report that anti-social behavior can be associated with behavioral problems, social withdrawal, peer rejection, academic struggles, and absenteeism. (Herzog, 2012) These problems are indicators of failure in

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