The Silent Epidemic Perspectives of High School Dropouts

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The Silent Epidemic Perspectives of High School
Dropouts

• A Report by
• Civic Enterprises, LLC
• John M. Bridgeland, John J. DiIulio, Jr., Karen
  Burke Morison

for the BILL MELINDA GATES Foundation
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High School Dropout Epidemic

• Each year, almost one third of all public high
  school students fails to graduate with their
  class.
• Nationwide graduation rate is between 68 to 71
  percent.
• Graduation rates for Whites and Asians 75 to 77
  percent.
• About half of blacks, Hispanics and Native
  Americans fail to graduate.
• A plurality of students drop out with less than
  two years to go before graduation.

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Graduation Rates Vary By Region

• The highest graduation rates are in North Dakota,
  Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin,
  Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
• The states with the lowest graduation rates
  Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and
  Florida.
• There are nearly 2,000 high schools with low
  graduation rates, concentrated in about 50 large
  cities in 15 primarily southern and southwestern
  states.

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Faulty Data

• The public and policymakers are largely unaware
  of how bad the problem is because of inaccurate
  reporting of dropout and graduation rates.
• Recent studies indicate that the graduation rate
  data produced by most states was inaccurate.
• States have now agreed on a new calculation
  method which takes into account dropouts from 9th
  through 12th grade.
• Big difference between promising to do it and
  actually doing it.

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Dramatic Consequences of Dropping Out

• Dropouts more likely to be
• Unemployed
• Living in Poverty
• Receiving Welfare
• In prison, On death row
• Unhealthy
• Have children who drop out
• High school dropouts on average earn about 1
  million less over their lifetimes than those who
  graduated from college.
• 30 years ago, dropouts could find a well-paying
  job and most who worked hard could expect to
  climb the economic ladder.
• The picture has gotten worse. The median
  earnings of families headed by a dropout declined
  by nearly one third between 1974 and 2004.

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Students Claim High Aspirations

• Almost every elementary and middle school student
  reports ambitions that include high school
  graduation and at least some college.
• A poll released by MTV and the National Governors
  Association in 2005 found that 87 of all young
  people want to go on to college.
• So why do so many drop out?

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The Silent Epidemic Perspectives of High School
Dropouts

• Unique in three respects
• Shares the perspectives of high school dropouts
  from across the country, who they are, why they
  dropped out, and what might have helped them
  graduate.
• Provides strong indications that this problem is
  solvable. We believe the vast majority of young
  people who drop out can go on to graduate if
  given appropriate help.
• Provides some policy pathways grounded in the
  reality of what would help the students.

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Survey Methodology

• Peter D. Hart Research Associates
• Focus Groups in August 2005
• Two in Philadelphia
• Two in Baltimore
• Face to face interviews
• 467 ethnically and racially diverse students ages
  16 through 25 who had dropped out of high schools
  in 25 different locations in large cities,
  suburbs and small towns.
• Areas with high dropout rates were selected.
• Data is not meant to be nationally
  representa-tive, but does offer reflections from
  a broad cross-section of people most affected by
  the dropout problem.

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Demographic Profile Of The Sample

• MenWomen
• WhitesAfrican AmericansHispanics
• City residentsSuburbanitesSmall town/rural
  residents

5248 363527 671417
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Profile of Our Dropouts

• Started to lose interest in 9th grade 10th
  grade 11th grade 12th grade
• Dropped out in 9th grade 10th grade 11th
  grade 12th grade
• 71 say at least one parent graduated from high
  school.

35 36 20 5 14283424
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Home Situation and Parents Role
While I was in high school, I lived with
My familys income is
Above average
Other relative/other adult/combination
Notsure
Far belowaverage
Bothparents
52 at or above average
44 below average
83 lived with parent(s)
Average
Slightly below average
One parent
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Key Findings

• 88 had passing grades, with 62 percent having Cs
  and above
• 58 dropped out with just two years or less to
  complete high school
• 66 would have worked harder if expectations were
  higher
• 70 were confident they could have graduated
• 81 recognized graduating was vital to their
  success

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Key Findings continued

• Hindsight 74 would stay in school if had to do
  it over again
• Kids had high expectations for themselves, and
  extreme regrets about not graduating
• Who to Blame? 51 blamed themselves for not
  staying, with an additional 26 sharing the blame
  with the schools very few blamed schools alone
• Nearly all had thoughtful ideas about what
  schools could have done to keep them from
  dropping out and would strongly counsel others
  not to drop out

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Preparedness And Performance
Did your primary schoolprepare you for the
academic expectationsof high school?
Time spent daily on homework in high school
Estimated GPA in high school
54
Less than one hour
46
45
44
Yes
No
37
Onehour
35
Low
28
High
Medium
None 26
Two/morehours
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Survey Findings
There is no single dominant reason that students
drop out.

• Top reasons
• Classes were not interesting.
• Missed too many classes, could not catch up.
• Spent too much time with people not interested in
  school.
• Felt a lack of connection to the school.
• Had too much freedom, not enough rules.
• Academic challenges
• The weight of real world events

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Dropouts Did Not Feel Motivated Or Inspired To
Work Hard

• Did you feel motivated and inspired to work hard
  in high school?

Was notmotivated/inspired
Was motivated/inspired
Notsure
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How Dropouts Say Schools Failed
Making school interesting Keeping students from
skipping classes Helping students with problems
outside classthat affect schoolwork Maintaining
classroom discipline Helping students feel safe
from violence Helping students who have trouble
learning/ understanding material being taught
Too easy
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Dropouts Respond

• Again and again, students recounted how high
  school was boring, nothing I was interested in,
  or it was boring, the teacher just stood in
  front of the room and just talked and didnt
  really like involve you.
• A girl from Baltimore said, There wasnt any
  learning going on.
• One boy from Philadelphia reflected, The work
  wasnt even hard.Once I figured I wasnt going
  to get any learning done in there, there wasnt
  any need to go.
• Many students blamed their teachers for feeling
  the same way they did about their classes They
  only care about getting through their day, too.

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Teachers and Staff Are Doing Well, But Could Be
Doing More
There was at least one teacher or staff member
who personally cared about my success There was
at least one teacher or staff member to whom I
could talk about my school problems There was
at least one teacher or staff member to whom I
could talk about my personal problems
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Some Failing In School

• 35 said this was one of the reasons they dropped
  out.
• Failing school is often more highly ranked in
  national surveys.
• 3 in 10 said they could not keep up with their
  schoolwork.
• 43 said they missed too many days in school and
  could not catch up.
• 45 said their previous schooling had not
  prepared them for high school.

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School Performance

• 57 said it was difficult to pass from one grade
  to the next and that the high schools
  requirements for graduating were too difficult.
• They attributed this to teachers not being
  available to give them extra help uninteresting
  classes tests being too difficult, and absences
  which put them too far behind.
• 32 had repeated a grade.
• 29 expressed significant doubts that they could
  have met their high schools requirements for
  graduation, even if they had put forth the
  necessary effort.

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Too Much Freedom

• 38 of respondents said they had too much freedom
  and not enough rules in their high school.
• Lack of order, discipline and rules making sure
  students attended class and limiting chaos that
  made students feel unsafe.
• Once you get in high school, its more like you
  have more freedom. In middle school, you have to
  go to your next class or they are going to get
  you. In high school, if you dont go to class,
  there isnt anybody who is going to get you. You
  just do your own thing.
• Male focus group member, Philadelphia

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Real World Reasons

• 32 said they had to get a job and make money.
• 36 of young men
• 28 of young women
• Many of these young people who cited real world
  reasons reported doing reasonably well in school
  and had a strong belief that they could have
  graduated had they stayed in school.
• These students were the most likely to say they
  would have worked harder if their schools had
  demanded more of them and provided the necessary
  support.

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The Lure of the Streets

• Focus group participants said they did not think
  of their future when deciding to drop out.
• They wanted freedom or money right then, or they
  gave up on their dreams because graduation seemed
  far away.

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Parents Engaged Too Late

• 47 say their parents work schedules kept them
  from keeping up with what was happening at
  school.
• Majority of parents were not aware or just
  somewhat aware of their childs grades or that
  they were about to leave school.
• 68 say their parents got more involved when they
  became aware their child was on the verge of
  leaving school
• Impetus for parental involvement often related to
  discipline.
• Only 47 said their parents would be contacted by
  the school if they were absent.

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Hindsight is 20/20

• I wouldnt make the same decision. I would stay
  in school. 19-year-old female, Philly
• I think its one of the worst regrets of my
  life. Female dropout, Baltimore.
• As adults, 4 out of 5 now say that graduating
  from high school is very (60) or fairly (21)
  important to success in life.
• 76 said they would definitely or probably
  re-enroll in a high school for people their age
  if they could.

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Their Regrets

• When they left, 53 had planned to go back and
  graduate, but only 11 actually did.
• 47 said not having a diploma makes it hard to
  find a job.
• Advice they would give I would tell him like,
  I havent finished high school. I dont have a
  job. I am broke. You cant make it without that.
  You cant go anywhere, for real, on the legal
  sideIf you go to school, get your diploma, you
  can do more things the right way. You might
  succeed.

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Dropouts Blame Themselves First For Not Graduating
Who was responsible for your leaving school
mostly the school, mostly you, or both?
Ratings on ten-point scale 10 I did
everything I could to stay in school/the school
failed me 1 I alone was responsible/school did
everything it could to keep me there
51
Largely(3-4 ratings)
26
22
Mostly(1-2 ratings) 34
Largely(7-8)
(5-6 ratings)
Mostly(9-10) 13
Both equal
School
Me
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Focus Group Comments

• Two responses were typical of what we heard in
  Philadelphia and Baltimore Theres only so
  much the school can do. Its a job. Theyre
  only there to teach. If Im not willing to
  learn, if Im not willing to go, then Ive got to
  put the blame on me. Theyre there. Im not.
• Another dropout said, No matter what the
  circumstances are no matter how bad I thought the
  school was, it was my choice to leave.
• A former student from Philadelphia who was asked
  to grade the performance of his school said, I
  actually gave my school an A because it wasnt
  them. It was me. So I cant pass blame on them
  for something I didnt do.

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Majority Say Requirements For Graduating Were
Difficult
My high schools requirements for graduating were
Notsure
Very difficult
Very easy
53difficult
43easy
Somewhat easy
Somewhat difficult
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But Most Dropouts Confident They Could Have
Graduated
How confident are you that you would have been
able to meet your schools requirements for
graduation if you had put in the necessary effort?
Notsure
Not at all confident
Very confident
Not that confident
70confident
Somewhat confident
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What Might Help Students Stay in School

• While there are no simple solutions to the
  dropout crisis, there are clearly supports that
  could be provided to improve students chance of
  staying in school. While most dropouts blame
  themselves for failing to graduate, there are
  things they say schools can do to help them
  finish.

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Warning Signs

• Dropping out of school isnt a sudden act, but a
  slow process of disengagement -- academic and
  social
• There are plenty of warning signs for schools --
  triggers that are easy to recognize absenteeism,
  tardiness, low grades, discipline problems,
  transfer students, being held back a grade or
  more, and 9th grade itself is a vulnerable
  transition year.
• National studies show that such warning signs
  appear and can be predictive of dropping out as
  early as elementary school.

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Advice From the Dropouts

• Improved Instruction and Support for Struggling
  Students
• 81 wanted better teachers
• Three-fourths wanted smaller classes with more
  individualized instruction
• 70 believed that more after-school tutoring,
  Saturday school, summer school and extra help
  from teachers would have enhanced their chances
  of staying in school.

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Advice School Climate

• Build a School Climate that Fosters Academics and
  is Safe
• 70 favored increasing supervision in school.
• Focus group The teachers.staff and security
  were all scared of the students. They let the
  students do whatever they wanted. The students
  ran the school. The principal was even scared of
  them. They didnt care that no work was getting
  done or anything.
• I just didnt feel safe. It affected my
  schoolwork terrible, because youre always
  looking around to see if someone would come in
  my classroom and do something to me.

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Advice

• Ensure Strong Adult-Student Relationships Within
  the School
• Focus groups said some of their best days were
  when their teachers noticed them, got them
  involved in class, and told them they were doing
  well.
• One boy from Philadelphia said, The best day in
  school? I guess one of the days when I went to
  every class.

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Advice Better School - Parent Communication

• 71 of dropouts surveyed said that one of the
  keys to keeping students in school was better
  communication between parents and the schools.
• Less than half said their school contacted their
  parents or themselves when they were absent (47)
  or when they dropped out (48).

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Policy Pathways

• Offer different schools/class experiences for
  different students
• Create Early Warning Systems
• Engage parents in school with individualized
  graduation plans
• Mobilize adult advocates to get the kids the
  support they need literacy programs, mentoring,
  tutoring, after-school help, school and peer
  counseling

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Policy Pathways

• Re-examine Compulsory School Age requirements
• Majority of states allow you to drop out at 16 or
  17
• Accurate graduation rate data needed.
• Make sure laws dont give principals an incentive
  to push out kids whose test scores would bring
  down school averages. Graduation rates using
  the accurate data must be an accountability
  tool.
• Conduct high quality research and disseminate
  Best Practices

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• We Need A National Conversation On This Topic

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Many of life's failures are men who did not
realize how close they were to success when
they gave up. - Thomas Edison
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