High School Dropout Literature Review

There are many critical issues in the United States, high school dropouts that later use drugs are one of those significant issues. The High school dropout rate continues to grow across the United States and has recently been referred to as a crisis (Rumberger 2011.). There is a distinct pattern for students who first dropout of high school, then later become a substance abuser. High school dropout rates have been a concern for more than two decades, and although some progress has been made, the problem still commands the attention. In 2007, 16% of individuals ages 16 to 24, or 6.2 million people, were high school dropouts (Center for Labor Market Studies and Alternative Schools Network in Chicago, 2009). The ten largest public school systems …show more content…
Department of Justice 2004) relative to those who graduate from high school. The vast majority of high school dropouts are males and these male students are mostly from urban areas with a lack of social support.
II. Literature Review
While reviewing articles on high school dropouts, all articles showed a direct or indirect relation between high school dropouts and substance abuse. By comparing individuals who have dropped out with those who have graduated from high school, a variety of studies have consistently illustrated that dropouts have much higher rates of substance use. According to the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA) more than 12,000 17 to 22-year-olds, Groeferer and colleagues (1997) found that high school dropouts were significantly more likely than high school graduates to have used marijuana and cigarettes during the past month. Students who in high school are substances abuse users as well. Administration (2013) updated this analysis by looking at data from the 2002 through 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). It showed that among 16- to 18-year-olds, students who were enrolled in twelfth grade used alcohol and other drugs at significantly