Dropping out of high school can have a strong impact on the rest of your life. Having a high school diploma is critical to achieving higher education or getting a better job. However not everybody is able to finish high school and go on to college for a passage to better circumstances. When a person drops out of school there is are many causes for their decision. High school dropouts have become an increasingly important issue in the past years due to the rates remaining constantly high. Dropping out of high school has long been a problem for at-risk students and low income families but is a glaring issue in our school systems. Economic, societal, and equity considerations all point …show more content…
Russell Rumberger claims in his study that poverty and high school dropout rates are “inextricably connected” meaning that children growing up in these situations have a harder time balancing school and life at home.“In 2009, poor (bottom 20 percent of all family incomes) students were five times more likely to drop out of high school than high-income (top 20 percent of all family incomes) students” (Rumberger). Students in poverty are five times more likely to drop out than those in the top 20% of family income. Students feel the pressure to drop out to help their families or help themselves live better. Rumberger also finds that community poverty matters in the high school dropout crisis due to the factors that surround these families. They affect the teen throughout his life’s development due continuous exposure to lack of resources such as parks and after-school programs. The teenager is then found surrounded by negative peer influences and situations such as gangs, drugs, dependency on welfare, and friends who are facing the same exact factors. Russell Rumberger claims in his study that poverty and high school dropout rates are “inextricably connected” meaning that children growing up in these situations have a harder time balancing school and life at