Five Reasons Children Leave School
By Jessica Pople
Dear university colleagues,
over 6,000 students drop out of school each day, which amounts to 1.2 million students each year in the U.S. Find out why below, and let's make a change!
1. The students themselves
Children make poor decisions. They get involved with drugs, alcohol, and crime. Many students have a negative attitude when it comes to school. They are disconnected to their family life and do not see the reasons they need to go to school. Most lack the self-esteem and skills needed for success, and some have undergone a major illness and have missed too many days to move forward. Because of the conditions listed above, students have been suspended, held back and have fallen behind in their work. For these reasons, they see little purpose of returning to school only to fail again.
Image from http://drpfconsults.com/education-in-america-struggles-to-cope-with-student-dropouts/
Click above to read how education in America struggles to cope with student dropouts.
Click above to read how education in America struggles to cope with student dropouts.
2. The family they come from
This typically happens because the children's parents have dropped out of school themselves. Students who come from families of low socioeconomic status where basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter are not met experience a clash between family values and school values. Older children often go to work in order to support the family or stay home to take care of younger siblings while their parents work. Many children come from non-English speaking homes with high mobility rates and are products of separation, divorce, or even family violence.
3. The community they come from
Several children live in places where education is not valued. Low-performance schools frequently lack community and health support.
Image from https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-high-school-dropout-rates.
Click above to see 11 facts about high school dropout rates.
4. The schools they attend
Schools have low expectations and lack sufficient guidance counseling. Students are suspended or placed in corrective classes for minor violations. The curriculum is irrelevant to the needs of the students being taught, and individual student learning styles go unnoticed. Teachers are unfamiliar with the latest learning and technology techniques, and some teachers are not hired in time, resulting in over-sized classrooms.
5. The teachers they have
The least-experienced teachers are often assigned to the most difficult schools. They enter with the expectation that they have been properly prepared with the skills they need; however, the teacher dropout rate is higher than the student dropout rate. Forty-six percent of teachers leave the field within five years. When asked why, a majority state that they have had increased demands placed on them and are not getting adequate support from supervisors in dealing with classroom discipline.