Young people who don't complete high school face many more problems in later life than do people who graduate. While national leaders have demanded that schools, communities, and families make a major effort to retain students, the dropout rate remains high. A report from the Educational Testing Service, One-Third of a Nation: Rising Dropout Rates and Declining Opportunities, warns little is being done to stem rising dropout rates and their economic costs. This report also found:

From 1990 to 2000, the high school completion rate declined in all but seven states. In 10 states, it declined by 8 percentage points or more.
In high school completion rates, the United States has now slipped to 10th place in the world.
On average, only one certified counselor is available for each 500 students in all schools, and one counselor to 285 students in high schools. And they have many assignments that leave little time to spend with students at risk of dropping out.
A "bulge" in enrollments in Grade 9 indicates more students nationally are being flunked to repeat Grade 9. This may be reflected in the significant shift toward younger, less educated dropouts than in the past, that face more difficulty in getting jobs.
In 1971, male dropouts, working full time, earned $35,087 (in 2002 dollars), falling to $23,903 in 2002, a decline in earnings of 35 percent. Earnings for female dropouts fell from $19,888 to $17,114.
There has been a shift in the awarding of GED credentials to younger individuals, and the program has been revised to make it more rigorous.

Franklin P. Schargel, Tony Thacker, and John S. Bell, authors of From At Risk to Academic Excellence: What Successful Leaders Do, believe that America's schools can improve and present examples of excellence -- educational leaders who firmly believe that all children can succeed, schools that effectively meet the needs of nontraditional learners, and educational communities that don't give up on students who are at risk of dropping out. In their book, the authors identify individual risk factors -- personal characteristics, habits, and experience; family situations; and peer and community relationships -- and then address the factors over which school leaders can more directly influence -- school climate and culture, school connectedness, school safety, attendance, and school achievement.

Risk Factors of Dropping Out

Previous School Experience

Absent 20 or more times during the previous school year
Retained in at least one grade
Low grades (Cs and Ds or below)
Disciplinary problems or disruptive behavior
Has attended five or more schools during a lifetime

Personal or Psychological Characteristics

External locus of control (i.e., being in agreement with others' perceptions -- believed or actual -- of their individual ability, worth, or value)
Low self-esteem
At least one disability (e.g., ADHD, learning disabilities)
Poor peer support
Depression or other emotional problems
Early sexual activity or promiscuity
Substance abuse

Adult and Family Responsibilities of Student

Has a child
Must work to help support the family

Family Background and Cohesion

Single-parent home
Permissive parenting
Poor parent-child relationships
Family receives public assistance
Neither parent nor guardian is employed
Primary language of the family is not English
A sibling has dropped out of school
Parent(s) did not graduate from high school

Parental discipline, monitoring, concern, encouragement, and consistency have also be linked to academic achievement. Children whose parents consistently set high standards work harder and do better in school. Additionally, an authoritative parenting style, characterized by warmth and concern coupled with boundaries (i.e., clear rules and limits), has been shown to have a positive effect on academic achievement.

School-Caused Risk Factors

Ineffective discipline system
Overburdened school counselors
Negative school climate
Retention and/or suspensions used to control discipline, rather than addressing causes
Disregarding student learning styles
Passive instructional strategies
Lack of relevant curriculum
Low expectations of student achievement
Fear of school violence

Excerpted from From At Risk to Academic Excellence: What Successful Leaders Do by Franklin P. Schargel, Tony Thacker, and John S. Bell.

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Resources

GED Testing Service ~ About 96% of U.S. employers accept the GED credential as equal to a traditional high school diploma. For more information, call 1-800-626-9433.

National Center for School Engagement ~ Provides resources on school attendance, attachment, and achievement.

National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities ~ Supports the national implementation of provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to provide successful school outcomes for students with disabilities.

National Dropout Prevention Centers ~ Research centers and resource networks to help meet the needs of youth in at-risk situations so these students receive the quality education and services necessary to succeed academically and graduate from high school.

From At Risk to Academic Excellence: What Successful Leaders Do

by Franklin P. Schargel, Tony Thacker, John S. Bell

The authors believe that America's schools can improve and present examples of excellence -- educational leaders who firmly believe that all children can succeed, schools that effectively meet the needs of nontraditional learners, and educational communities that don't give up on students who are at risk of dropping out.

More Information on Dropouts

15 Effective Strategies for Dropout Prevention ~ The basic core strategies are mentoring / tutoring, service learning, alternative schooling, and after-school opportunities.

Dropout Nation ~ The reasons why students drop out of school with special attention to Native American students.

Fostering a Love for Reading: An Investment in the Future

If an Teen Begins To Fail in School . . .

Locating the Dropout Crisis (pdf) ~ Which high schools produce the nation's dropouts? Where are they located? Who attends them?

Numbers & Rates of Public High School Dropouts: School Year 2004–05 ~ Among the findings: There were 540,382 public school students who dropped out of grades 9–12 in school year 2004–05 in the 50 states. California, New York, and Texas had the highest number of grade 9–12 dropouts, with more than 43,000 dropouts each.

Preventing Dropout and Promoting School Completion ~ Dropping out of school is a process of disengagement that begins early.

The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives of High School Dropouts (pdf) ~ A primary purpose of this report is to approach the dropout problem from a perspective that has not been much considered in past studies – that of the students themselves. The central message of this report is that while some students drop out because of significant academic challenges, most dropouts are students who could have, and believe they could have, succeeded in school.

Stopping Dropping Out! ~ Efforts to prevent students from dropping out of school should begin when children start school, not when they’re about to leave it.