Understanding and Addressing the Issue of the High School Dropout Age

Forms of Dropout Prevention

Truancy as an Indicator
Engaging Schools
School Change
Alternative Schooling
Dropout Tracking Systems
Parents' Role in Preventing Dropouts

Studies have identified many of the key reasons students drop out of school and what can be done to prevent them from doing so. 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 research study conducted by Jacqueline Ancess and Suzanna Wichterle at Columbia University found five key elements that are fundamental in reducing the number of students who drop out of school:

• Small school size, which supports more positive teacher-student relationships.
• Small class size, enabling teachers to provide a challenging curriculum for all students.
• Intellectual habits of mind that mark the school as an intellectual community.
• Portfolio assessments that allow students to demonstrate their learning in multiple and complex ways.
• Staff members chosen for their commitment to the school's mission and beliefs about teaching and learning (Ancess & Wichterle, 2001).

Truancy as an Indicator

Students who are continually absent from school and fall into truant status are more likely to be at risk of dropping out (Rumberger, 2001). Research has proven that truancy obstructs opportunities for future employment success and is also a major channel into drug use, daytime crime, and violence (U.S. Department of Education, 1996). The U.S. Department of Justice has reported statistics indicating that in some cities daily absentee rates have reached as high as 30 percent (Garry, 1996). It is clear that when students are habitually truant from school, they fall so far behind in their class work that dropping out is an easier option than catching up.

A research study to examine different patterns of truancy—conducted by Wendy Schwartz for the ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education—analyzed data from surveys taken over a four-year span on students who began high school in 1988. Schwartz (1995) reported that almost one half of all students surveyed missed at least 10 days of school; one third cut class at least 10 times; and one fourth were late at least 10 times. Research indicates that improving attendance rates is another strategy that contributes to early identification of at-risk students and provides support to dropout prevention programs. Another related study conducted by the Milwaukee Public School (MPS) system highlighted truancy as a factor in predicating students at risk of dropping out. Truancy continues to be a major problem in the MPS system and in turn prompted an internal review by the Office of Audit Services on MPS's dropout prevention and re-enrollment programs. The focus of the review was to understand why the MPS system is plagued with habitual truants and what can be done to get them back into school. The conclusion drawn from the study was that based on the number of students truant, immediate parental involvement and timely resolution of attendance problems are means to improving student attendance (MPS, 2002).

Truancy prevention programs have been established throughout the country, most designed to increase students' desire to return to school. Successful truancy programs aim to offer services for students to overcome personal and social obstacles that primarily lead to a decline in school attendance. Research points to many parallel solutions for decreasing the percentage of students who drop out of school and improving truancy rates. Programs involving schools, law enforcement, families, businesses, judicial and social service agencies, and community youth service organizations will contribute to the decline in both of these rates (Garry, 1996).

An example of how school districts are changing their approach to improving truancy rates is the Los Angeles Unified School District. The district experienced severe troubles with truancy over the years and, in collaboration with the City Attorney's Office, has created a program called Operation Bright Futures. The program involves mailing letters and brochures in multiple languages to parents and guardians explaining California's truancy laws and consequences (Ritsch, 2002). The Los Angeles Unified School District provides counseling, health care, and other resources to help students transition back into school as easily as possible (Ritsch, 2002).

Improving truancy rates requires a coordinated effort. Schools must work with both parents and communities to implement school-based solutions. Schools should play important roles in providing an atmosphere that does not alienate students and is able to continually track performance and behavioral patterns. Research has shown that recruiting truant systems into extracurricular activities is a constructive way of increasing their engagement (Rohrman, 1993). As truancy is a key indicator for at-risk students, so are patterns of significant familial or emotional problems. These issues must be identified early and addressed along with school factors (Mogulescu & Segal, 2002).

Engaging Schools

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. This approach focuses individual student support services around motivating students to learn. A key component of this reform is a review of current school-based polices and practices to redesign and reform those that are not working. Studies have shown that as the disconnection between students and schools increases, so does the likelihood that a student will drop out of school (Wehlage & Rutter, 1986).

The strongest educational predictor of dropping out is poor academic achievement (Woods, 1995). Also, students who repeat grades or who are over age for their grade are more likely to drop out. Wehlage and Rutter (1986) found that students who drop out see all schooling in relation to their experiences in high school, and in terms of their lack of academic success and disciplinary problems, and these students often decide to terminate this negative situation.

Early success in school may also play an important role in helping students stay in school. A research report written by Donald Hansen (1994) from the University of California–Berkeley found that engaging students at a younger age is a predictor for future student educational success. Hansen's (1994) report analyzed a study done by some 50 graduate students that traced a group of 117 students from elementary school through high school. He concluded that grade-point average in elementary school alone correctly predicted later schooling status in 45 percent of the cases. Student disengagement from school should be understood as a long-term process, developed over time, beginning with early school experiences.

"Early school failure may act as the starting point in a cycle that causes children to question their competence, weakens their attachment to school, and eventually results in their dropping out" (U.S. GAO, 2002). Studies have shown that poor early academic performance and engagement (for example, absenteeism and disciplinary problems) in both elementary and middle school are indicators that predict early withdrawal from high school (Rumberger, 2001; Woods, 1995).

Engaging students requires an analysis of how school districts work with students who are at risk of dropping out. For an increase in compulsory attendance age to be effective, alternative means of educating students who are continually truant, misbehaved, and pose a threat to themselves or their classmates have to be considered. "Most students who are discharged are not explicitly thrown out. They 'choose' to leave, rarely encouraged to stay" (Fine, 1986, p. 404).

School Change

A comprehensive policy for school change should include professional development for teachers and educators. Quality professional development can help teachers and administrators understand the necessity for caring relationships with students and can also help them convey that caring effectively. "There is evidence now that many students do not believe teachers are very interested in them. To the extent that those who come from disadvantaged backgrounds perceive a less than firm commitment by the institution to educate them, their school effort is not likely to be sincere" (Wehlage & Rutter, 1986, p. 390). Genuine relationships between students and educators can ease a disciplinary system where many at-risk students find themselves trapped. According to Susan Black (2002), students who were suspended or expelled became convinced that teachers and administrators no longer wanted them in school. Unsurprisingly, these students became more disruptive, were chronically absent, and gave up trying to pass their courses. Many of them eventually dropped out (Black, 2002).

Another aspect of school change is to challenge traditional models of school organization to make schools more interesting and responsive places where students learn more and can meet higher standards. A research study conducted by Robert Wood and colleagues for Mathematica Policy Research provided an analysis of the impact of school restructuring initiatives. According to their research, "Restructuring strategies should include (1) developing curricular and instructional methods to promote higher-order thinking as well as more active and team-oriented learning, (2) having teachers play a more active role in managing schools, and (3) encouraging schools to be more sensitive to the concerns of their "clients—parents and students" (Dynarski, Gleason, Rangarajan, & Wood, 1998, p. vii).

Alternative Schooling

The educational focus of an alternative school system is usually to provide alternate learning experiences beyond those found in traditional school settings (Atkins, Allen, & Meredith, 2001). Alternative schools offer both a short-term and long-term educational programs. A short-term program is designed to improve student behavior or academic achievement with the intention of returning the student to his or her home school. Short-term programs are especially suitable for elementary or middle school students. Long-term programs may be more specialized, and are often for high school students. Students in long-term programs may be separated from their peers and fellow classmates, but research has indicated that long-term programs are generally more effective than short-term programs because of the employment related skills that are usually integrated into them (Atkins, Allen, Meredith, 2001).

Once a student is ready to return to his or her base school, appropriate programs must be in place to secure a successful transition. Students who find the greatest difficulty adapting back are troubled with the larger class sizes, lack of counselor advisement, lack of involvement within school activities, inconsistent intervention strategies, and the absence of a formal transition program. When students are transitioned back without adequate support and guidance, they will easily fall back to the ways that placed them into the alternative education programs from the beginning.

Former Chicago Public School Chief Executive Paul Vallas (as cited in Whitmire, 2000) witnessed a decrease in dropout rates when failing students were placed into summer school programs and the district ended social promotions. Alternative and evening schools are also useful in helping students likely to drop out. They are not evidence of harsh systems that push students to drop out, according to Vallas. He thinks "students see evening schools as a second chance" (Whitmire, 2000).

Students in alternative schools are often there because they have shown poor academic performance, they are negative about schooling, or they have had disciplinary problems. Alternative schools are generally better equipped to provide quality education to at-risk students and can often bring dropout-prone students to graduation. Alternative schools can encourage students by providing more individual attention and offering a curriculum that will engage at-risk students (Woods, 1995). For additional examples of alternative education programs, see Appendix B.

Atkins, Allen, & Meredith (2001) have identified six essential components that alternative schools must have to serve students on individualized education programs successfully:

• Functional Behavior Assessment - Identification of problem areas that affect the student's educational achievement, social, and emotional adjustments.
  
  
• Functional Curriculum - Carefully prepared programs aimed at helping the student achieve individual academic, behavioral, social, and vocational needs.
  
  
• Effective and Efficient Instruction - Clear and personalized goals that focus on high levels of academic involvement and student effort.
  
  
• Transition Assistance - Helping students adjust and readjust to the alternative setting or to return to their home school; preparation of the student for independent living.
  
  
• Comprehensive System - Wrap-around services for the education, treatment, and supervision of a student with disabilities.
  
  
• Appropriate Staff - Qualified and trained staff, including certified special educators to serve students with emotional or behavioral problems; provisions for parent involvement in student evaluation and decision process; connections to community resources.

Dropout Tracking Systems

Melissa Roderick conducted a study in 1993 that analyzed the academic performances of dropouts beginning from the fourth grade until the students dropped out of school. Her report suggests that differences in academic performance appear as early as the fourth grade, and dropouts demonstrate a pattern of failing grades prior to leaving school (Roderick, 1993). Academic and social climate—attendance rates, students taking advanced courses, and students' perceptions of a fair discipline policy—can help predict school dropout rates, even after controlling for the background characteristics of the student and the school (Bryk & Thum, 1989; Rumberger & Thomas, 2000). 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).

The state of Delaware, for example, currently maintains a complete dropout database at the state level that contains individual student records, rather than aggregate counts. The tracking system contains the names and addresses of students who drop out, as well as demographic information such as grade, gender, race, date of birth, reason for dropping out, and category of exceptionality. This set of variables has been collected consistently since the 1978–79 school year (Delaware Department of Education, 1995).

Parents' Role in Preventing Dropouts

Parents play an important role in how children perceive and cope with school, and they influence the decisions children make. Children whose parents are actively involved with their schooling are less likely to experience attendance problems and are more likely to graduate (Rumberger, 2001; Schwartz, 1995). The majority of researchers believe that parents provide the encouragement and stability that is vital for a student's success (Bryk & Thum, 1989; McNeal, 1999; Rumberger, 2001). Recent studies have confirmed that strong relationships between students and parents can decrease the likelihood of dropping out of school at any level (Rumberger, 2001). Family-related factors that place children at risk include a dysfunctional home life, no parental involvement, low parental expectations, a non-English-speaking home environment, ineffective parenting or abuse, and high mobility (Wells, 1990).