High School Dropouts and Graduation Rates

By: Erica Lotz and Jennifer Durant

Do any of you guys know of

anyone who has dropped out of high school and their reasoning's

for doing so?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFbvXqjVNEU

Who are High School Dropouts?

• students who are at risk of dropping out show signs of pulling away from school long before they actually drop out

• people who are not enrolled in, and have not earned a high school diploma or GED

• individuals ages 16 to 24• miss classes • skip school• do not complete homework• earn low grades• engage in disruptive behavior

Reasons for Dropping Out• low grades• did not feel safe• inability to get along with peers• their community• work/support• pregnancy• home life• drug & alcohol issues

Historical Background• 7,000 students drop out every school day• this statistic was acceptable 50 years ago, but

the era in which a high school dropout could earn a living wage has ended in the U.S.

• dropouts today significantly diminish their chances to a good secure job and future

• since 1972 dropout rates have declined between then and the year of 2005• 15% to a low of 9% in 2005

Current Status

• a study that was released recently, stated that there was a gap in dropout rates• dropout rates are currently declined, but may rise again if not

concentrated on• graduation rate calculations have varied by state for years• because of this, the U.S. Department of Education also

announced last year that it would require all states to use a uniform formula for determining how many of their students graduate from high school on time and how many drop out.

Present Issues "Many schools in America today

can't tell us on any given day who's in school and who's not, nor in any given year how many students have successfully made it through their four years of schooling to graduate and how many have dropped out."

—The Silent Epidemic (PDF)

For Those Who Drop Out…

• high School dropouts earn $9,200 less per year than high school graduates do

• more than $1 million less over a lifetime than college graduates

• they are also more likely to be unemployed• in poor health• living in poverty and on public assistance• single parents with children• eight times as likely to be in jail or prison

Facts• Indianapolis public schools had the lowest graduation

rate of any large American city in 2005, with only 30 percent of freshmen graduating on time

• 95% of students want to go to college, only 60% of them even graduate from high school

• 1.2 million students fail to graduate from high school• dropouts from the class of 2008 alone will cost the

nation more than $319 billion in lost wages over the course of their lifetime

• men are more likely to drop out than women• dropout rates are higher for blacks and Hispanics than

whites• dropout rates are greater in cities than in suburbs• A study has also found that dropout rates rise for those

children whose parents divorce

Erica’s Reflection Before I began this research, I knew that the amount

of people dropping out of high school was an issue, but I did not realize the numerous amounts and

severity of it. I have never experienced this type of issue with myself or any of my siblings, but I did have

a handful of friends and peers that I went to school with who had dropped out. I feel that the number of

people who have dropped out is sad. I don’t think that many of them think ahead before making the decision to do so. Although dropout rates have declined, I feel that if we do not try to decline or do something more with this issue, that it will make a big impact on all of

us. Especially with our economy that the way it is today. You must have an education to get by and

raise a family.

Jenny’s ReflectionI did not know a lot about high school dropouts, and what I did know, I now know I was wrong about it. My sister dropped out of high school her senior year. All

she needed was one more credit, but she did not want to go to summer school to receive it. When I saw my sister do this, it made me want to be better than her and finish high school, and go to college. I

think want I learned most about our topic is that dropout rates are lowering, and about the minimum

amount of money that you make when dropping out. Our topic will affect everyone, but mostly us. As we

become teachers we will be dealing with this, and will have to make it a priority to keep our kids in school.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fihzt1NBkP8

When you become a teacher of your own, what will you do to

help convince one of your students to not

drop out when she/he wants to?

Sources• Gerein, K., & Journal, T. E. (n.d.). High school dropout rate rises for children whose

parentsdivorce, study finds. Retrieved April 22, 2009, from http://www.edmontonjournal.com/Life/High+school+dropout+rate+rises+children+whose+parents+divorce+study+finds/1473172/story.html

• Child Trends DataBank - High School Dropout Rates. (n.d.). Retrieved April 22, 2009, from http://www.childtrendsdatabank.org/indicators/1HighSchoolDropout.cfm

• High School Dropout Rates by Gender, 1960–2006 — Infoplease.com. (n.d.). Retrieved April 22, 2009, from http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0779196.HTML

• Fast Facts. (n.d.). Retrieved April 22, 2009, from http://nces.ed.gov/FastFacts/display.asp?id=16

• BoostUp. (n.d.). Retrieved April 22, 2009, from http://www.boostup.org/?gclid=CPqZypG2hZoCFdhL5QodoBH1Fw

• Archived: Goal 2 High School Completion - Defining Dropouts: A Statistical Portrait. (n.d.). Retrieved April 22, 2009, from http://www.ed.gov/pubs/ReachingGoals

• The Silent Epidemic :: Statistics and Facts About High School Drop out Rates. (n.d.). Retrieved April 22, 2009, from http://www.silentepidemic.org/epidemic/statistics-facts.htm