Drop Out Rate
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By tbraun09 | Tuesday, May 12th, 2009
Other factors contributing to a child dropping out of school would include absenteeism. This may be due to not enough family/caregiver interest in what the child is doing. The child may feel like they have too much freedom and are not being challenged enough. As a result, the child may adopt a pessimistic outlook on their future feeling too far behind in their classes to catch up with their cohort.
Safety at school as well as at home are important in a child’s educational development. Physical or mental abuse or disfunctional communication at home may prevent a child from focusing on their homework. They may even be told by a parent/caregiver that they will fail in life. The same goes at school where bullying and peer pressure from friends can distract students and keep them away from their studies; unable to realize their own potential.
Poverty is another factor. This can lead to more health problems at an earlier onset in life. More children may be born out of wedlock and, statistically, someone raised in poverty has a higher probability of living in poverty as an adult.
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Dropout rate affects economic development
By Tobi Kibel Piatek | Monday, April 6th, 2009
One more answer to the question Why Are We Doing This? Why are we offering a course to teachers and mentors to teach skills and understandings that help keep kids in school?
This article by Bobby L. Hickman, is from the website, Business to Business. It is about the economic impact of dropouts on the Georgia economy – but, it is easy to see that the bottom line is the same in Oregon, and all around the country. When a kid drops out of school, the costs are like a stone thrown into water – they just keep on expanding, beyond one person, one family, one neighborhood, to affect our entire economy.
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“If you’re not convinced education has a dramatic effect on economic development and growth, you haven’t met Dr. Steve Dolinger. As president of the non-profit Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education (GPEE), he travels around the state talking to chambers of commerce, civic clubs and other community leaders about the economics of education. He presents sobering statistics detailing how the high-school dropout rate has an $18 billion annual economic impact on Georgia.
What sort of reaction does he get?
“Usually it’s a little bit of a wake-up call,” Dolinger says. “They’ll know some of the data. They know the graduation rate is getting better but it’s not where we want it. They know SAT scores are improving but still not where they need to be.”
But when GPEE starts tying dollar values to those statistics, it’s often an eye-opening discussion. According to a Georgia Southern study, in 2005, the percentage of Georgians age 25 and older who had completed high school was 82.8 percent. The national average was 84.2 percent.
Other studies indicate if the number of 20-year-old high-school dropouts were cut in half, the federal government would reap $45 billion in extra tax revenues and reduced costs for public health, crime and justice, and welfare.
The Georgia high school graduation rate improved from 65 percent in 2004 to 72 percent in 2007. But Dolinger says that number represents 123,275 students over the past four years who entered ninth grade but did not graduate from high school.
He says high school non-completion “affects so many things. It increases criminal activity, and adds to the costs of prison and welfare. They have lower lifetime earnings, which reduces their buying power, lowers tax revenues for governments and reduces economic growth. There’s also decreased health status, more criminal activity, higher rates of teen pregnancy and single motherhood – just higher costs all around.”
Aside from the immediate impact, the education system also has a direct effect on future economic growth. ….”
To see the entire article, go to http://www.btobmagazine.com/Articles/2008/April/eco_dev_beat.html
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Why are we doing this?
By Tobi Kibel Piatek | Monday, March 30th, 2009
Welcome Spring 2009 class.
Why should you take this course? Why should you learn to build relationships with kids at risk? Who are these kids? Who else cares? How can I know?
Almost every time I listen to the news, or read online, the subject of the dropout rate keeps popping up. Today I listened to a discussion of the candidate’s views and ideas for reducing the drop out rate among Hispanics (the highest of any ethnic group.) Yesterday I mentioned in this blog that Fox News considers teen dropout rates one of the important issues facing America today.
Anytime No Child Left Behind is mentioned, the dropout rate is soon part of the conversation. There are articles lately arguing different ways to calculate the dropout rate, as well as mention of the dropout rate as a key indicator of a school’s success in different areas.
The dropout rate is politics, its economics, it is a social issue and an educational one. The dropout rate in our country is an indicator of other problems and other issues. And though there is a lot of conversation about how to solve this problem, so far, we know that one strategy has had a positive impact – forming better relationships – with kids, with their families and their communities. That’s why we offer this course.
My Challenge to You - Start noticing what the media says about dropouts.
Let’s track this trend and gather information together. Use this post as a starting point that you can use to submit links to, or quotes from any articles or materials in any medium that you come across related to the dropout rate.
Let’s collect opinions, points of view, statistics and strategies.
My husband has an expression, “when you are hungry, all you see is bakeries.” My challenge to you is … when you are aware of a new major concept – the dropout rate, kids at risk, and struggling schools, what do YOU notice all around you?
Please share.
Topics: Drop Out Rate, Dropouts | 3 Comments »
I think the 5 biggest reasons high school students in my home (suburban/rural) school district are dropping out are:
1) failing courses, getting behind in credits
2) working more than part time (difficulty managing both school and work)
3) home/family issues
4) pregnancy
5) disconnected from teachers and/or students
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District Drop Rates
By rpilk | Sunday, January 11th, 2009
To my suprise there was very little information out there about drop out rates for elementary through middle school aged kids. I tried looking at PPS School District and also Gresham/ Barlow School Districts web pages online and found only statistics about high school drop rates. There has got to be something on this?
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The New Year is a perfect time for thinking about the dropout rate
By Tobi Kibel Piatek | Friday, January 9th, 2009
It’s a new year, the beginning of a new term for the Making Connection course, and the time that Sam Adams takes on his job as Portland’s new mayor. This should be good news for Portland kids, because on of Mayor Adams’ top priorities is to reduce the high school dropout rate.
In fact, his campaign promise is to “cut the dropout rate in half.” Of course there is a lot of discussion about just what that rate really is, but according to Portland School Foundation study that he quoted, “43% of Portland Public Schools’ eighth-graders don’t graduate on schedule.”
The new mayor does have some good ideas about how to make a difference. In a recent Oregonian column about this, Anna Griffin described Adams’ ideas. These include encouraging city planners to use land-use laws and tax incentives to help working-class students and their parents find affordable homes, “rather than having to hop from one school to another.”
This makes sense based on statistics that show that changing schools one or more times raises the risk that a kid will drop out. So does his other suggestion that “businesses that offer internship programs and hire local graduates can get first crack at city contracts. (Adams is already talking about a summer internship program that will put incoming ninth-graders in the business world, to show them what life with a diploma can be.)” I am totally in favor of that too.
Griffin’s article, and so many others in the news these days, focuses on the financial obstacles that stand in the way of any changes to the schools. But her article, and I assume the new mayor, has overlooked the small ray of reasonably good news that is at the heart of the Making Connections project. While all of the new mayor’s ideas are good and important, they will require work, time, planning, dollars and infrastructure.
Yet they overlook an idea that can make a difference right now - this course offers something teachers, mentors, and parents (in fact anyone who work with kids) a simple and inexpensive way to learn the importance of, and skills for building and maintaining strong relationships with kids. We KNOW that connecting with kids, their families and the community can reduce the dropout rate - and it can happen without setting up new programs or tax incentives.
Mr. Mayor, welcome to your new job, and consider yourself invited to get to know more about this project. We’d like to Make Connections with you.
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Drop out rates for Hillsboro School district
By dawnjgreen | Monday, October 27th, 2008
In the Hillsboro school districts the dropout rate for 2006-2007 was 1.5 percent. When comparing it state wide it’s 2.7 percent less than other school districts in Oregon. When looking at the other facts with in this area the average class size is 26;1. I was unable to find information to see if the dropout rate for the school districts increased or decreased. I did find the report card that gave information about the school districts dropout rate district wide. The schools that did not get a strong rating were the middle schools within the Hillsboro district. The information that I used to get the dropout rate was the annual report card for the school district.
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warning signs
By mpulliam | Saturday, October 18th, 2008
After research and reading, I have complied the following list of warning signs that could lead students to drop out of high school. By no means is this list comprehensive, but more general…
- No strong role model, lack of emphasis on importance of education, low socioeconomic status, older friends who have dropped out, pregnant, drug use, having to work to support family, sick family member, experiencing various kinds of abuse, homeless, no money for supplies or clothes, uninterested in their future (college, career etc), moved from school to school, no friends at school, lack of connection with teachers or counselors, not engaged in any extracurricular activities such as sports or clubs.
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reasons for dropping out
By kristendyan | Tuesday, October 14th, 2008
i am working with high school students (and soon middle school students), in the vancouver/camas/battleground/ridgefield area.
based on what i hear the students i am working with say, there are NUMEROUS reasons for kids dropping out in this area, but some of the ones i hear most:
1. students and/or their families do not see the value in education. it is not as much of a priority as working for money, caring for family members, etc. some students don’t receive the support they need from their family; some students live on their own so they have to work 40+ hours a week, and have no energy left for school; many students do not plan on attending college, therefore don’t think a high school diploma is necessary for success; other students recognize that some careers do not require a high school diploma, and some of these fields are avenues for making enough money to survive.
2. truancy/excessive absences. once a student misses too many school days, it becomes almost impossible to catch up. while some students miss school because they don’t care for it, others have more valid reasons for missing school- needing to work, sickness, pregnancy, caring for family members, etc.
3. ‘typical’ school does not meet their needs. every student learns differently and has different needs when it comes to receiviing, retaining and reflecting information. some students come from schools or classrooms where this is not recognized or explored. they have trouble learning in these situations and eventually give up. in essence, some students just get ‘lost’ in the system.
4. some students get caught up in risky behavior- drugs, alcohol, partying- and school becomes less and less of a priority. this becomes extremely dangerous for students who do not have the support of anyone who truly values education.
5. students feel like nobody cares or notices if they aren’t in school. they find community outside of school. their need for acceptance is not met in school, so they find it elsewhere, and often replace school with these communities or groups.
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Dropout Rates in North Clackamas School District
By ajarthur | Monday, October 6th, 2008
The dropout rate of North Clackamas School District is 3.2% in 2007. In 1995 the dropout rate was at 6.39%. I found it on the website on the annual report. It was very general and I was unable to find any specifics about that drop out population. There was not information on how this reduction was obtained and if any specific programs were used. I believe that variables could effect this decrease like a change in boundaries or changing demographics but that information was not easily available.
My idea of who I thought was dropping out was fairly accurate and my perception has not changed much.
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