Understanding and Addressing the Issue of the High School Dropout Age
Executive Summary
In February 2003, the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL) conducted a policy analysis on high school dropout age, providing an overview of the opportunities and challenges that might arise from increasing the compulsory attendance age from 16 to 18. This paper begins with background information on the issue of high school dropouts, followed by a discussion of definitions of dropout and how rates of high school dropouts are calculated in most states. Also included are examples of how some states have successfully raised the compulsory attendance age. The paper concludes with research-based solutions for preventing increasing rates of high school dropouts.
Statistics on the economic disparity between those who have completed high school and those who have dropped out, and the related social implications of this disparity, are troubling. With the increase of technology in the workplace, the demand for a highly skilled labor force requires at minimum a high school degree. High school dropouts earn lower incomes and face higher unemployment than students who complete high school. Research indicates that dropouts are more likely to have health problems, engage in criminal activities, and become dependent on welfare and other government-related programs than high school graduates (Rumberger, 1987).
The National Center for Education Statistics, the primary federal resource for U.S. dropout data, reports that national dropout rates have changed slightly from 1990 to 2000 with rates fluctuating between 10.9 and 12.5 percent respectively (U.S. General Accounting Office [GAO], 2002). States are becoming aware of the increased importance of completing a high school degree for entry into postsecondary education or the labor market. Changing the compulsory attendance age from 16 to 18 is one strategy states are employing in an attempt to reduce dropout rates. Increasing the compulsory attendance age is a policy that is garnering support across the country, and in 2002 six states made the push to amend their laws.
In addition to changing the compulsory attendance age, decreasing the dropout rate requires the active participation of schools, districts, local communities, parents, and state government working in conjunction with one another. Research has also indicated that to decrease the dropout rate, active partnership between the business, economic, and social sectors of the community is necessary to bring about change (Woods, 1995). A comprehensive approach to dropout prevention also focuses on keeping students in school and ensures that time spent in the classroom is engaging and useful. Restructuring strategies that challenge traditional models of school organization to make schools more interesting and responsive places where students learn more and achieve higher standards are essential.
An important aspect of increasing the compulsory attendance age is to provide alternative means of educating students who are continually truant, misbehaved, or pose a threat to themselves or their classmates. Alternative schools are generally better equipped to provide quality education to at-risk students and can often bring dropout-prone students to graduation. Also, establishing a tracking system that identifies students with poor grades, truant habits, disciplinary records, and severe absenteeism could be useful in recognizing at-risk students so additional resources can be provided (Rumberger, 2001).
There is no single reason that can account for why students drop out of school, but research suggests that a combination of factors acting together contributes to the problem. In attempting to decrease the dropout rate, in addition to raising the compulsory attendance age, emphasis should focus on meeting the needs of all students, employing such measures as alternative programs, supervised work experience, and additional counseling.
Increasing the compulsory attendance age can be an important component in a comprehensive effort to limit the number of students that drop out of school each year. Family backgrounds combined with student experiences provide insight into why students drop out of school. School districts, communities, and parents all play an important role in preventing students from dropping out. Understanding the dropout crisis is not a simple task, and improvement requires reforms at all levels.
