NoDropouts.org

High school dropouts fall further behind despite improving economy

Blog Editor — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 20:36:23 +0000

Job prospects for high school dropouts have gotten a lot more grim these past few years.

Even though the unemployment rate around the country is improving, high school dropouts are struggling worse than ever to find employment.

The Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that about 1.8 million more college graduates have found work since January 2010, when the economy began to recover enough to provide new jobs, but about 128,000 high-school dropouts lost work in the same period, according to an article in the Wall Street Journal.

More than 60 percent of the 25 million Americans over age 25 who don’t hold a high school diploma are unemployed. And those who are lucky enough to find jobs certainly don’t make much.

High-school dropouts earn about $23,400 on average, compared with $33,500 for those with a high-school diploma and $54,700 for four-year college grads, according to the labor bureau.

That wage gap is only expected to grow as jobs require more education and skills.

Jobs that traditionally have employed less-educated males, such as construction and basic manufacturing, have dwindled. Men with limited reading or math skills also struggle to be accepted into job-apprentice programs.

Of the 40 percent of dropouts who are working, many are immigrants, in large part because they gravitate toward jobs at the low end of the labor market, such as child care, cleaning, restaurant work and landscaping.

Many manufacturers have high-end equipment that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. They don’t want to have to replace those due to an undereducated worker.

"You bring in a guy, and he can't read or write and doesn't understand mechanics and he can destroy the machine on his first day," said Kenneth Mueller, senior vice president and chief operating officer of Metalico Inc., which recycles metal and makes new metal products at locations near Pittsburgh.

In 2020, there will be nearly six million more high-school dropouts than jobs available to such U.S. workers, according to a 2011 McKinsey Global Institute study. At the same time, there will be a shortage of about 1.5 million college-educated workers by 2020.

"High-school dropouts are being left further and further behind," said Susan Lund, head of research for the institute, part of the McKinsey & Co. consulting firm.

What do you think about the labor market for high school dropouts? Do you think these statistics will help encourage students to earn a diploma? What experiences have you had with finding jobs for dropouts?

Research Wednesday: Counselors need to take holistic approach when preventing dropouts

Blog Editor — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:24:26 +0000

Across the nation, dropout intervention efforts are focused on helping academically struggling students get the help they need to get to graduation day.

And now, increasingly, programs aimed at preventing dropouts (and recovering those who have already left school) are focusing on giving students the support and flexibility they need to overcome the non-academic obstacles that often stand in the way of a diploma.

But one area that is often neglected is the spiritual and psychological wellness of a student.

In this week’s edition of Research Wednesday, we look at a 2011 study published in the Journal of At-Risk Issues that found that psychological and spiritual components factor into whether a student stays in school.

The study, conducted by Jan C. Lemon and Joshua C. Watson, showed that addressing absenteeism, deviant behavior and social anxiety, common factors in dropouts, does not prevent a student from leaving school.

The authors, however, did find that students who feel like they matter, or are important to others, don’t suffer with the same depression and disconnect as their peers who don’t feel like they matter.

More importantly, though, the study found that students who can incorporate high school completion into their personal value systems end up graduating.

The trick, of course, is finding a way to convince teenagers that graduating is important.

School counselors, the study suggested, should include “interventions that promote skills, which develop purpose in life, compassion for others, moral values, and a sense of oneness with the universe.”

Hitting that target means individual and group counseling “with an emphasis on freeing students with ‘should’ and ‘oughts’ in their belief systems and creating plans with new outlooks on how to make the most of the student’s academic attributes, personal beliefs, and individual strengths.”

The authors acknowledged that counselors and educators can’t make someone believe something, and they can’t make someone do something they find useless.

“Thus, the attributes that protect students from making poor academic decisions can only be understood from the aspect of the student’s private logic,” the study stated.

The study concluded that a paradigm shift needs to occur when addressing the dropout epidemic.

Dropping out, the study reasoned, “has long been considered a problem of student dysfunction and should now be approached from a perspective that addresses life and academic behaviors affecting the student intellectually, spiritually, and emotionally.”

What are your thoughts on taking a holistic approach to addressing the needs of a student? Do you think or have you found this to be an effective or ineffective method of stemming the dropout epidemic?

A GED simply keeps students at the same level as their dropout peers

Blog Editor — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:10:35 +0000

Students who earn a GED are in the same economic boat as those who drop out of college.

That’s according to new research, and it’s concerning in districts where high school graduation rates are falling and GED enrollment rates are climbing.

One of our favorite education reporters, Claudio Sanchez, looks at the job prospects of those with a GED in a recent report.

About 750,000 dropouts take the GED each year, but most of them are finding it a meaningless pursuit. Young men and women who apply at places ranging from Burger King to Walmart to Best Buy are turned down because they don’t have a high school diploma. Only 1 in 10 GED holders goes on to graduate from college.

"The GED is a credential. Is it adequate for gainful employment and a living wage in the United States of America today? I do not think so," said John Deasy, Los Angeles Schools superintendent.

The district’s adult and career education leader, Ed Morris, is even more brazen.

"If I were prepared today with a GED, and that's what I had as an 18-year-old, I'd be scared to death of the future," he said.

The makers of the GED are looking to redesign the test, splitting it into two focus areas: one on rigorous high school academics and the other on career and college readiness.

But those of us in the education world have seen the research that shows that GED holders do no better in the workforce than their dropout peers.

We need to provide the flexibility for students facing pregnancy, bullying or transience to allow them to graduate with a diploma from their high school. That piece of paper, and the work behind it, shows employers that a graduate is ready to handle the workload of a job and opens the doors to a higher education.

What do you think of the GED? Is it a direction you would encourage dropouts to take? Do you have stories to share of those who have earned a GED and succeeded or failed in the workplace?

California schools to emphasize career technical education to prevent dropouts

Blog Editor — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 19:20:19 +0000

In California, students who participate in programs that emphasize career-oriented education have a higher graduation rate than their peers who don’t.

That’s one of the reasons the state’s education administration unveiled a plan that would increase the collaboration between schools and businesses, according to an article in the Lake County News.

Tom Torlakson, state superintendent of public instruction, released his Career Readiness Initiative, which is designed to lower dropout rates and give graduates the tools they need to succeed in the workforce.

The program makes career technical education (CTE) courses an integral part of the curriculum, and also increasing the number of “career academies” — which link local businesses with the school. Students who participate in those academies have a 95 percent graduation rate compared to 85 percent for non-participants. African American and Hispanic students also graduated at significantly higher rates from the academies than from the general high school population. Among Latino seniors, the graduation rate for participants was 94 percent, the statewide rate 80 percent; among African American seniors the participant graduation rate was 92 percent, compared with the statewide rate of 76 percent.

“The ongoing budget crisis and an 18 percent dropout rate mean we have to take action to help our students—and our state's economy,” Torlakson said. “Career technical education is a proven way to ensure more of our students, especially those who are deemed 'at risk,' succeed after high school.”

A new plan to help students complete high school in California would integrate career technical education courses

To learn more about the Career Readiness Initiative, visit www.cde.ca.gov/eo/in/cr/index.asp.
For more information on Torlakson's A Blueprint for Great Schools, visit www.cde.ca.gov/eo/in/bp/index.asp.

Does your district or state emphasize career technical education? Do you think it helps students who may not succeed on academics alone?

American Idol contestant chooses to go back to school

Blog Editor — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 03:21:54 +0000

Those of us who fight to end the dropout epidemic understand the damage that can be done by celebrities who brag about leaving school.

Last year, for example, hip-hop artist Drake advised teens to “follow their hearts” to pursue a dream, even if that means dropping out of high school to do so.

One American Idol contestant, Travis Orlando, who was recently voted off the singing talent show, had done just that.

The 18-year-old singer grew up in the Bronx, and he told judges his mother walked out on him and his father, who has cancer. They were evicted from their apartment and live in a homeless shelter. He decided last year to drop out of school to pursue his music career.

But according to an article on Fox News Latino, a camerawoman on set encouraged him to go back to school.

Orlando has enrolled at the Adult Learning Center at Lehman College in the Bronx, where he can earn his GED.

It would have been better had Orlando not dropped out in the first place, and it would be even better if he could earn a high school diploma instead of a GED, as research demonstrates the latter offers little economic advantage.

But it’s encouraging to see a dropout realize that the only way to lead the life he wants is to pursue his education. It’s a message that is too often lost in the one-in-ten-million cases where a dropout makes it big.

What do you think about celebrities encouraging teens to leave behind education to pursue their dreams? What are effective ways to show students the life of a dropout rarely results in fame and fortune?

Tennessee program helps teen moms stay in school

Blog Editor — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 18:51:00 +0000

Teenage moms in one Chattanooga school are banding together to offer each other support while counseling their peers not to get pregnant.

The girls are careful to tell their friends who see them with their children that parenting is not as easy as some reality TV shows make it out to be — and none of them would have gotten pregnant so young if they had the choice to make again.

Guidance Counselor Melissa Brassel recognized the high dropout rates among teen moms and created the club to keep the girls engaged in academics. She also puts together play dates for the moms and their children in the hopes of boosting their self esteem, according to WRCBtv.com.

"I felt like someone should be there for them, showing them the resources that are available," she told the station. "Dropping out does not have to be an option for them."

Programs like this should be lauded not only for offering a cautionary tale to others, but also, and more importantly, for helping teen moms to stay in school and earn a diploma. That piece of paper and the work behind it means these moms will be able to get better-paying jobs and offer more stability to their children than their peers who don’t graduate.

What programs do your schools and districts offer to teenage moms? Are they effective? What do you think would work best?

Administrators in Delaware frustrated that students pursuing alternative education routes are still counted as dropouts

Blog Editor — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 22:10:06 +0000

About 1,500 students dropped out of school in Delaware last school year, and officials are struggling to pinpoint why.

The Delaware Department of Education does show a decreasing dropout rate, with 71 fewer students dropping out last year than the year before. That continues a three-year decline to 3.7 percent, according to an article on DFMNews.

Having more students stay engaged is encouraging, but administrators believe the numbers could be better — after all, they argue, some of their students are being counted as dropouts even though they are continuing their education.

“I’m asking for the opportunity to think outside of the box,” said Mervin Daugherty, superintendent of Red Clay Consolidated School District. Teachers may be more comfortable suggesting alternate educational routes if those students weren’t counted as dropouts.

Students who attend the James H. Groves Adult High School, enter Job Corps, or pursue a GED are also considered dropouts, even though they aren’t stopping their educational pursuit.

We’d like to agree, but the fact is that such educational paths do not always produce a diploma. And even when students obtain a GED, research shows that they’re not as well-served by that certification as they would be with a high school diploma.

But we wholly agree with Daugherty on one important point: He hopes legislators will consider alternative paths for keeping students in school — and we do, too.

Flexibility and the willingness to adapt to the challenges students face in graduating, from unstable home lives to pregnancy to bullying, is the best way to ensure students graduate and don’t fall prey to the consequences of dropping out — from making substantially less income than their diploma-holding peers to running increased risks of being victims of violent crimes.

Do you think students who engage in alternative learning should be counted as dropouts?
What alternatives do your schools and districts offer? What do you think is the best way to keep students engaged in school?

Research Wednesday: Schools that address transient students' underlying issues succeed in keeping them in class

Blog Editor — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:19:47 +0000

Washington County Public Schools presented some dismaying news last week.

The Hagerstown, Md., school district’s dropout rate has increased for the past two years. In the 2009-10 year, the rate was 1.56 percent. That inched up to 1.80 in 2010-11 and then hitting 1.93 percent last school year, according to The Herald Mail.

It should be noted these numbers are down from the 5.5 percent rate in 2000, but seeing an increase in the dropout rate — even a small one — can be discouraging.

Donna Hanlin, assistant superintendent for curriculum, school administration and improvement, said part of the reason for the increase in dropouts was because of a more transient school population.

Research has shown that a transient student population does have negative impacts on student achievement and the classroom environment.

District officials said they are considering an alternate high school to help these students earn their diplomas.

In this post, our first installment of a weekly feature called Research Wednesday, we’d like to share with you a study that shows that programs intended to help transient students only succeed when they address the underlying issues students are facing.

The study, published in Vol. 16, Issue 1 of The Journal of At-Risk Issues in 2011, [this will be a link, too] shows that expecting mobile students to adapt to a traditional school paradigm won’t work — it’s up to educators to adapt to a transient student population.

In Nebraska, researchers Jody C. Iserngahen and Nadia Bulkin analyzed student data from the 2007-08 and 2008-09 school years. They found that dropout rates indeed increased due to students frequently moving locations. In one study, they found that 13 of 158 high school dropouts cited that reason for leaving school.

One 22-year-old student told them “I was an outsider, I didn’t fit in. I lost credit moving from out of state. I missed all of my friends and I just didn’t want to go. I was so far behind and I had lots of problems.”

But all isn’t lost for students like this. Schools that were successful in addressing the achievement gap between highly mobile and non-highly mobile students had the following characteristics:
• solid transition programs for mobile students
• administrative procedures that increased the overall quality of the school
• flexible classroom strategies
• collaborative support and effective communication

Some of the specific steps teachers took included limiting homework for students without supportive or available parents; creating “buddies” and small groups where students felt they belonged in classrooms; and reviewing curriculum material often with all students to make sure they all have the same knowledge base.

Is your school employing these steps to help its transient students? What else are you doing that is working to serve those who don’t always stay in one place? Comment here or e-mail us at editor@NoDropouts.org

President Barack Obama prioritizes education in his budget

Blog Editor — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 23:32:11 +0000

President Barack Obama has sent a love letter to education — just in time for Valentine’s Day.

The president presented his recommended budget to Congress this week, and he is asking for a historic increase in K-12 education.

The Department of Education highlighted his budget request as it impacts schools.

Obama’s budget would provide a $3 billion increase in K-12 education programs, plus up to an additional $1 billion funding if Congress approves his proposed overhaul of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

That represents the largest funding increase for K-12 education ever requested.

The president also has laid out programs that will work with families and schools to help students stay in high school, earn their diplomas and move on to a higher education. The Supporting Student Success initiatives also sees a big jump, meaning schools can extend hours and days in school to help students accommodate more electives that spark and keep their interest in schools.

Pell Grants, for those from low-income families who want to attend college, also would see a significant increase of about $5.6 billion.

But as some areas increase, others take a hit, such as career and technical education — two areas that, it’s important to note, should be key parts of any district’s strategy to combat the high school dropout epidemic.

What are your thoughts on President Obama’s funding proposals? Do you think he has the right priorities? What would you change?

Philadelphia job prospects bleak for high school dropouts

Blog Editor — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:50:10 +0000

In Kensington and Eastern North Philadelphia, the unemployment rate for young adult dropouts is close to 50 percent.

And that only scratches the surface.

About half of the area's dropouts between the ages of 20 and 24 aren’t even searching for work, so they aren’t counted in unemployment statistics.

That means that only one in four young adults without a high school diploma in Kensington/Eastern North Philly has a job, according to a recent article in Education Week, which highlights the struggles of Monica Reyes, a young Philadelphian struggling to find work in a city that already has a devastatingly high unemployment rate.

"There's a period of eight or 10 years where a lot of decisions really come together and set your life path," said Paul Harrington, director of the Center for Labor Markets and Policy (CLMP) at Drexel University, which conducted an analysis of labor market outcomes for youth for the Notebook/NewsWorks.

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter has made reducing the city’s high school dropout rate his priority. In 2011, for the first time in recent history, the city's four-year high school graduation rate inched above 60 percent.

But dropouts are still struggling to find work.

According to Drexel's CLMP, young adults in Kensington/Eastern North Philly are twice as likely to have a job if they also have a high school diploma or equivalent.

"A high school diploma opens the door to opportunity," said Neeta Fogg, a Drexel researcher who helped conduct the CLMP analysis.

By providing at-risk students the flexibility, accessibility and support they need to finish their studies, we can make sure that students like Monica earn their diplomas and open the doors to brighter futures.