High School Dropout Dilemma in America and the Importance of Reformation of Education Systems to Empower All Students

Year 2022, Volume: 6 Issue: 2, 423 - 447, 31.12.2022

Theodoto Ressa , Allyson Andrews

Abstract

Dropout happens when a student withdraws themselves from school at any level of education without a certificate to account for their education. It is an educational problem in America because of its negative consequences on society. Three-quarters of the fastest-growing occupations require more than a high school diploma, and yet, just over half of American citizens acquire that extent of education. Out of the industrialized nations, America holds one of the most significant high school dropout rates. Half of the students who begin college will never finish. School dropouts are intelligent individuals capable of offering a lot to the world. However, because they never complete their studies, their abilities may never transpire to their full effectiveness. Hence, solving school dropouts is key to national development. Adolescents who drop out of school vary in demographics and socioeconomic status. There is also a correlation between students with disabilities and the dropout rate. This paper discusses school dropouts in the United States to contribute to its solutions. It examines the causal factors and the effects of school dropouts on individuals and society. School dropout is prevalent among vulnerable groups, and the cost to disadvantaged individuals, families, communities, and nations is high. Since school dropout status has negative consequences, moderating this dilemma benefits the individual and broader society, locally and globally.

Keywords

Drop out, education system, high school, poverty, vulnerable students

References

• Alliance for Excellent Education. (2007). Public education policy and progress. Straight A’s: Public Education Policy and Progress, 7(21), 1-8. https://all4ed.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Volume7No21.pdf
• Bakken, T. & Kortering, L. (1999). The constitutional and statutory obligations of schools to prevent students with disabilities from dropping out. Remedial and Special Education, 20(6), 360–366. https://doi.org/10.1177/074193259902000610
• Balfanz, R. & Legters, N. (2004). Locating the dropout crisis: Which high schools produce the nation’s dropouts? Where are they located? Who attends them? Center for Social Organization of Schools at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Education. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED484525
• Bear, G. G., Kortering, L. J., & Braziel, P. (2006). School completers and noncompleters with learning disabilities: Similarities in academic achievement and perceptions of self and teachers. Remedial and Special Education, 27(5), 293–300. https://doi.org/10.1177/07419325060270050401.
• Blackorby, J., Edgar, E., & Kortering, L. J. (1991). A third of our youth? A look at the problem of high school dropout among students with mild handicaps. The Journal of Special Education, 25(1), 102–113. https://doi.org/10.1177/002246699102500107
• Bouchrika, I. (2021). High school dropout rate is decreasing but race, income & disability issues persist. Research.com. https://research.com/education/high-school-dropout-rate
• Chapman, C., Laird, J., Ifill, N., & KewalRamani, A. (2011). Trends in high school dropout and completion rates in the United States: 1972-2009 (NCES 2012-006). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2012/2012006.pdf.
• Child Trends Databank. (2018). High school dropout rates. https://www.childtrends.org/?indicators=high-school-dropout-rates
• Doll, J. J., Eslami, Z., & Walters, L. (2013). Understanding why students drop out of high school, according to their own reports: Are they pushed or pulled, or do they fall out? A comparative analysis of seven nationally representative studies. SAGE Open. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244013503834
• Doren, B., Murray, C., & Gau, J. M. (2014). Salient predictors of school dropout among secondary students with learning disabilities. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 29(4), 150–159. https://doi.org/10.1111/ldrp.12044
• Dunn, C., Chambers, D., & Rabren, K. (2004). Variables affecting students’ decisions to drop out of school. Remedial and Special Education, 25(5), 314-323. https://doi.org/10.1177/07419325040250050501
• Forhad, M. A. R. (2021). Minimum dropout age and juvenile crime in the USA. Eastern Economic Journal, 47(3), 378–405. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41302-020-00184-2
• Gerlinger, J., & Hipp, J. R. (2020). Schools and neighborhood crime: The effects of dropouts and high-performing schools on juvenile crime. The Social Science Journal, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1080/03623319.2020.1744951
• Glennie, E., Bonneau, K., Vandellen, M., & Dodge, K. A. (2012). Addition by subtraction: The relation between dropout rates and school-level academic achievement. Teachers College Record (1970), 114(8), 1–26. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3763746/
• Heissel, J. A. (2019). Teen fertility and siblings’ outcomes: Evidence of family spillovers using matched samples. Journal of Human Resources, 56(1), 40–72. https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.56.1.0218-9341r2
• Irwin, V., Wang, K., Cui, J., & Thompson, A. (2022). Report on Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2021 (NCES 2022-092/NCJ 304625). National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, and Bureau of Justice Statistics, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Washington, DC. https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2022092.
• Irwin, V., Zhang, J., Wang, X., Hein, S., Wang, K., Roberts, A., York, C., Barmer, A., Bullock Mann, F., Dilig, R., and Parker, S. (2021). Report on the Condition of Education 2021 (NCES 2021-144). U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics. https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2021144
• Kortering, L. J., & Braziel, P. M. (1999a). School dropout from the perspective of former students: Implications for secondary special education programs. Remedial and Special Education, 20(2), 78–83. https://doi.org/10.1177/074193259902000203
• Kortering, L. J., & Braziel, P. M. (1999b). Staying in school: The perspective of ninth-grade students. Remedial and Special Education, 20(2), 106–113. https://doi.org/10.1177/074193259902000208
• Lee, K., & Polachek, S. W. (2018). Do school budgets matter? The effect of budget referenda on student dropout rates. Education Economics, 26(2), 129–144. https://doi.org/10.1080/09645292.2017.1404966
• Lee-St. John, T. J., Walsh, M. E., Raczek, A. E., Vuilleumier, C. E., Foley, C., Heberle, A., Sibley, E., & Dearing, E. (2018). The Long-Term Impact of Systemic Student Support in Elementary School: Reducing High School Dropout. AERA Open. https://doi.org/10.1177/2332858418799085
• Levin, H. M., & Belfield, C. R. (2007). Educational interventions to raise high school graduations rates. In C. R. Belfield & H. M. Levin (Eds.), The price we pay: Economic and social consequences of inadequate education (pp. 177-199). Washington, DC. Brookings Institution Press.
• Masterson, A. M. (2021). Relationship between early pregnancy and school dropout among adolescent girls in Arkansas, USA. Journal of Education, 4(7), 10–19. https://doi.org/10.53819/810181025020
• McFarland, J., Cui, J., Holmes, J., & Wang, X. (2019). Trends in High School Dropout and Completion Rates in the United States: 2019 (NCES 2020-117). U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics. https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2020117
• McMurrey, A. L. (2014). Willful ignorance? The dropout crisis and United States public education policy. The Journal of At-Risk Issues, 18(1), 27-34. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1029758
• McWilliams, A. E., Everett, P., & Bass, M. L. (2000). A model of underlying influences on students’ decisions to drop out. The Journal of At-Risk Issues, 7(1), 42-50. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ631830
• Mennen, O. K., Weybright, C. W., & Aldridge, N. S. (2022). Effects of child abuse on school dropout among students in USA. Journal of Education, 5(2), 1–10. http://dx.doi.org/10.53819/81018102t5065.
• Moll, L. C., Amanti, C., Neff, D., & Gonzalez, N. (1992). Funds of knowledge for teaching: Using a qualitative approach to connect homes and classrooms. Theory Into Practice, 31(2), 132-141. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405849209543534
• Murnane, R. (2013). U.S high school graduation rates: Patterns and explanations. https://doi.org/10.3386/w18701
• National Center for Education Statistics. (2022). Status Dropout Rates. Condition of Education. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/coj.
• Nittle, N. (2019). Staying power: District leaders reduce dropout rates with early intervention, CTE and home visits. 31-33. www.DistrictAdministration.com
• Obinna, D. N., & Ohanian, M. M. Z. (2020). Uncertain aspirations: Latino students and dropout in the United States. Race Ethnicity and Education, 23(5), 654-672. https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2018.1497967
• Peguero, A. A., Zavala, E., Shekarkhar, Z., & Walker-Pickett, M. (2018). School Victimization, Immigration, Dropping Out, and Gender Disparities. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36(5-6), 2703–2731. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260518760004
• Plasman, J. S., & Gottfried, M. A. (2016). Applied STEM coursework, high school dropout rates, and students with learning disabilities. Educational Policy, 32(5), 664–696. https://doi.org/10.1177/0895904816673738
• Pyle, N., & Wexler, J. (2011). Preventing students with disabilities from dropping out. Intervention in School and Clinic, 47(5), 283–289. https://doi.org/10.1177/1053451211430118
• Rothwell, D. W., Gariépy, G., Elgar, F. J., & Lach, L. M. (2019). Trajectories of poverty and economic hardship among American families supporting a child with a neurodisability. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 63(10), 1273-1284. https://doi.org/10.1111/jir.12666
• Sublett, C., & Chang, Y. (2019). Logging in to press on: An examination of high school dropout and completion among students with disabilities in online courses. Journal of Special Education Technology, 34(2), 106-119. https://doi.org/10.1177/0162643418795841
• Sugai, G., Horner, R., & Lewis, T. (2009). Positive behavioral interventions and supports. Retrieved from http://pbis.org.
• The White House Office of the Press Secretary. (2009, February 24). Remarks of President Barack Obama – Address to Joint Session of Congress. https://vimeo.com/3372329 or https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-barack-obama-address-joint-session-congress
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2021). Education pays. https://www.bls.gov/emp/chart-unemployment-earnings-education.htm
• U.S. Census Bureau. (2022). National Poverty in America Awareness Month: January 2022. https://www.census.gov/newsroom/stories/poverty-awareness-month.html#:~:text=Highlights%2C%20Poverty%3A,and%20Table%20B%2D4.
• U.S. Department of Education. (2017). Sec. 300.8 Child with a disability. https://sites.ed.gov/idea/regs/b/a/300.8
• U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2021). The Condition of Education 2021 (NCES 2021-144), Status Dropout Rates. https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=16
• Vázquez-Nava, F., Vázquez-Rodríguez, E. M., Vázquez-Rodríguez, C. F., & Ortega Betancourt, N. V. (2019). High school dropout: Association with family structure, maternal employment, and health-risk habits among female Mexican adolescents. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 28(12), 3307–3314. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-019-01505-6
• Willits, D., Broidy, L., & Denman, K. (2013). Schools, neighborhood risk factors, and crime. Crime & Delinquency, 59(2), 292-315. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011128712470991