High School Dropout Rates Research Articles

Moving Beyond Academics

The U.S. high school dropout rate continues to decline. Possible reasons for this decline include stronger academic standards, persistent state and district actions, and implementation of programs to help disconnected youth reconnect to educational opportunities. In the current study, we propose a complementary hypothesis for rate improvements: adult capacity. When adults nurture, socialize, and teach youth, youth are more likely to achieve academic and life success. Likewise, neighborhoods need enough adults to provide these relationships. Using the Decennial Census data (1970-2010), we examined whether an increase in the adult-to-youth ratio in a neighborhood covaries with a reduction in the status dropout rate. We find that a 1% increase in the ratio is associated with a 1% decrease in the dropout rate. The effect is substantially greater in predominantly Black or African American neighborhoods and higher income neighborhoods. Policy implications are discussed, specifically how the adult-to-youth ratio could be increased.

Ending to What End? The Impact of the Termination of Court-Desegregation Orders on Residential Segregation and School Dropout Rates

In the early 1990s, the Supreme Court established standards to facilitate the release of school districts from racial desegregation orders. Over the next two decades, federal courts declared almost half of all districts under court order in 1991 to be “unitary”—that is, to have met their obligations to eliminate dual systems of education. I leverage a comprehensive dataset of all districts that were under court order in 1991 to assess the national effects of the termination of desegregation orders on indices of residential-racial segregation and high-school dropout rates. I conclude that the release from court orders moderately increased the short-term rates of Hispanic–White residential segregation. Furthermore, the declaration of districts as unitary increased rates of 16- to 19-year-old school dropouts by around 1 percentage point for Blacks, particularly those residing outside the South, and 3 percentage points for Hispanics.

Does the Left-Behind Experience Affect the Exam Behavior, Drop-Out Behavior, and Intention to Colleges of Secondary Vocational Students? Based on Longitudinal Data from Zhejiang and Shaanxi Provinces

This article is based on tracking data of 7,411 first-year high school students from 106 secondary vocational schools in Zhejiang and Shaanxi Provinces from 2011 and 2012 and analyzes the impact of the experience of being left-behind on the exam behavior, dropout behavior, and willingness for promotion of secondary vocational school students. The authors find that when not controlling other factors, there are group differences among left-behind children, migrant children, and nonmigrant left-behind children on participation in the high school entrance exam, dropout rates, and plans to attend vocational college. However, when controlling other factors, there are no significant differences between left-behind children and non–left-behind children in exam behavior, dropout behavior, and willingness for promotion, and there is no significant impact during the period they are left behind on the exam behavior, dropout behavior, and willingness for promotion of vocational secondary school students. Therefore, using instrumental variables or other identification strategies is a possible direction in this field of study.

School connectedness and high school graduation among maltreated youth

Maltreated youth have higher rates of school dropout than their non-maltreated peers. School connectedness is a modifiable predictor of school success. We hypothesized maltreated youth’s school connectedness (supportive relationships with adults at school and participation in school clubs) would be positively associated with high school graduation. We included youth with at least one Child Protective Services (CPS) report by age twelve from Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect, a prospective cohort study. Participation in extracurricular activities and adult relationships reported at age 16, high school graduation/General Education Development (GED) status reported at age 18, and demographics were provided by youth and caregivers. Maltreatment data were coded from CPS records. The outcome was graduation/receipt of GED. Multivariable logistic regressions examined the association between school connectedness and graduation/receipt of GED, controlling for confounders. In our sample of 318 maltreated youth, 73.3% graduated. School club was the only activity with a statistically significant association with graduation in bivariate analysis. Having supportive relationships with an adult at school was not significantly associated with graduation, though only 10.7% of youth reported this relationship. Maltreated youth who participated in school clubs had 2.54 times the odds of graduating, adjusted for study site, gender, poverty status, caregiver high school graduation status, and age at first CPS report (95% CI: [1.02, 6.33]). Few maltreated youth reported relationships with adults at school, and additional efforts may be needed to support these vulnerable youth. School club participation may represent an opportunity to modify maltreated youth’s risk for school dropout.

Promoting Gypsy children's behavioural engagement and school success: Evidence from a four‐wave longitudinal study

Low schooling, high non‐attendance and school dropout rates are critical phenomena within disadvantaged groups, especially among the Gypsy community. For example, in the UK, 10%–25% of Gypsy children do not attend school regularly and have significantly higher levels of overall absence from school (percentage of half‐day sessions missed) than pupils from other ethnic groups. In Portugal, available data on Gypsy children is sparse, yet data from one geographic region of the country reports high school failure (45%) and dropout rates (15%) among this population. The present study assessed the efficacy of a four‐year intervention to promote Gypsy children's behavioural engagement and school success. Gypsy communities were contacted and 30 children participating in the four waves were randomly distributed into control and experimental groups. Every school day throughout four years, 16 children in the experimental group were called at home and invited to go to school. The effectiveness of the intervention was evaluated in four waves (at the end of each of the four school years), assessing behavioural engagement (i.e. school non‐attendance, classroom behaviour) and school achievement (i.e. mathematics achievement, student progression). Findings show the efficacy of the intervention on promoting behaviour engagement and academic success without devaluing Gypsy people's culture.

Force, Support, and Endorsing Factors of Early Marriage in Adolescent Sasak (Sasak Ethnic) in Central Lombok

Projection of Indonesian teenager 2000-2025 years of age 10-24 years is reach 64 million or 28.64% of the total population of Indonesia. West Nusa Tenggara with a population growth rate around 1.49% exceeds the national population growth rate 1.1% with fertility during adolescence (early marriage) of 48 / 1,000 children who were born between 15-19 years reached 8359 people. Figures of early marriage on the teen have an impact on social inequalities in the high school dropout rate, premarital sex, divorce and high epidemics of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) as well as the explosion of the population. The research objective was to determine the amplifier, enabling factors and drivers of early marriage in adolescents Sasak in Central Lombok Regency. The research design is a cross-sectional. Samples of the research 582 people, taken using systematic random sampling method from 2,574 population. The dependent variable of early marriage in adolescents, while teens knowledge about reproductive health, adolescent attitude about early marriage, pregnancy Unwanted (KTD), culture, peer pressure, media exposure information, the role of parents as the independent variable.

Education Outcomes of Children of Asian Intermarriages: Does Gender of the Immigrant Parent Matter?

Abstract Studies about the effects of native and immigrant intermarriage on the human capital of children generally ignore disparate impacts by gender, ethnicity, or other attributes. Using 2000 U.S. Census data, we compare the high school dropout rates of 16–17-year-old children of Asian intermarriages and intra-marriages. We study differences between Asian-father and Asian-mother only families, controlling for observable child, parental and residential characteristics, as well as unobservable selection into intermarriage. Despite the higher average education and income levels of intermarried families, the children of Asian-father-native-mother households have higher dropout rates compared to both Asian intra-married and Asian-mother-native-father households. Children of less-educated fathers do worse, relative to children of less-educated mothers, suggesting the importance of intergenerational paternal transmission of education. Racial self-identity is also important: Children identify as “non-Asian” more often when the mother is native, and their families may under-emphasize education bringing them closer to native levels.

Reading in children with temporal lobe epilepsy: A systematic review.

Children with epilepsy have higher rates of reading difficulties compared to the general population. Reading difficulties are associated with lower academic attainments, higher school drop-out rates, greater risk of unemployment, lower income, and poorer adjustment. We examined the literature dealing with reading in children with the most common type of focal epilepsy, temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), in relation to: presence of reading difficulties, contributing factors, and efficacy of treatments for reading difficulties. We searched databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and PubMed) for studies published before September 2016. Included studies (i) reported on a group of children with TLE, (ii) used a standardized reading test or included a control group, (iii) involved original research published in peer reviewed journals in the English language. Of 2018 citations obtained through literature searches, six met inclusion criteria. Reading accuracy and/or reading comprehension were assessed using different tests. All but one study found statistical evidence of reading difficulties in children with TLE. Only two studies examined relations between cognitive deficits and reading. One found that memory contributed to reading accuracy and comprehension. Another found evidence of a small decline in reading accuracy, which was not associated with a decline in memory post-surgery. Several studies were underpowered, giving false negative findings and not allowing relations between epilepsy factors, underlying cognitive deficits, and reading to be adequately examined. No study examined efficacy of reading intervention in this patient population. We showed that reading difficulties that are present in children with TLE are under researched, yet they have significant functional consequences through childhood and into adulthood. There is an urgent need to identify risk factors and investigate efficacy of treatments for reading difficulties in children with TLE, as this will enable early identification and evidence-based treatment to be delivered in clinical practice.

No Child Left Behind: What About Refugees?

As populations migrate and seek refuge around the world, educators in receiving countries need information about how to provide meaningful education experiences. Refugee children have higher rates of school dropout and are faced with many challenges, such as acculturation stress, poverty, poor housing, dangerous neighborhoods, and psychological disorders. The purpose of this article is to examine the research and current status of U.S. school system supports for the education of refugee children and to provide suggestions based on evidence-based practice for refugee children's success. The authors provide a historical overview of policies and provisions of refugee education, an assessment of multiple factors affecting refugee children's adjustment and success at school, and a review of evidence-based practice for refugee children.

School Absenteeism and Child Labor in Rural Bangladesh

Evidence from many countries suggests a close association between school absenteeism and high rates of school drop-out, grade repetition and low academic achievement, and health and psychological disorders. In rural Bangladesh, school absenteeism is a major issue. Many children who are enrolled do not attend school regularly. Our own calculation using the Multiple Indicator Survey (MICS) 3 2005-06 data shows that more than a quarter of children aged 7-14 years missed at least one day of school in a six-day school week in the rural areas of Bangladesh. In addition, Bangladesh has a very high incidence of child labor. In 2005-06, 41% of children aged 7-14 years participated in the labor market activities in the rural areas. In this paper, we empirically examine the major determinants of school absenteeism and child labor among children aged 7-14 years and number of hours worked by them in rural Bangladesh using the MICS 3 2005-06 data. Since, data on school absenteeism and number of hours worked are censored, we estimate a bivariate Tobit model. Our empirical analysis shows that parental educational level has a significant negative effect on both school absenteeism and number of hours worked by children. The negative effect of education level of mother on school absenteeism is twice as large as that of father. We find that children belonging to poorer households have higher level of school absenteeism and work greater number of hours. Our results suggest that low income and financial constraints continue to act as important barriers to improving schooling outcomes in rural Bangladesh. We also find evidence of gender bias against female children regarding child labor. Female children work significantly greater number of hours than male children. In addition, the gender differential in number of hours worked increases with age. Finally, we find that school absenteeism is lower among children enrolled in higher grades. Results show that low parental education level and significant resource constraints both in terms of wealth and time are main obstacles in improving schooling outcomes for children in rural Bangladesh. There is continuing need to provide financial support to poor households and increase their access to credit market. Reducing school absenteeism in lower grades can help in reducing school drop-outs and improving academic achievement. There is need to target government assistance and aid programs towards children in lower grades and their parents.

Menstruation and the Cycle of Poverty: A Cluster Quasi-Randomised Control Trial of Sanitary Pad and Puberty Education Provision in Uganda.

BackgroundPoor menstrual knowledge and access to sanitary products have been proposed as barriers to menstrual health and school attendance. In response, interventions targeting these needs have seen increasing implementation in public and private sectors. However, there has been limited assessment of their effectiveness.ObjectivesAssess the impact of providing reusable sanitary pads and puberty education on girls’ school attendance and psychosocial wellbeing outcomes.MethodsA cluster quasi-randomised controlled trial was conducted across 8 schools, including 1124 girls, in rural Uganda. Schools were allocated to one of four conditions: the provision of puberty education alone; reusable sanitary pads alone; puberty education and reusable sanitary pads; and a control (no intervention). The primary outcome was school attendance. Secondary outcomes reflected psychosocial wellbeing.ResultsAt follow-up, school attendance had worsened for girls across all conditions. Per-protocol analysis revealed that this decline was significantly greater for those in the control condition d = 0.52 (95%CI 0.26–0.77), with those in control schools having a 17.1% (95%CI: 8.7–25.5) greater drop in attendance than those in any intervention school. There were no differences between the intervention conditions. High rates of school drop-out and transfer meant the trial suffered from substantial participant drop-out. Intention-to-treat analyses using two different imputation strategies were consistent with the main results, with mean differences of 5.2% attendance in best-case and 24.5% in worst-case imputations. Results were robust to adjustments for clustering. There was no impact of the interventions on girls’ self-reported shame or insecurity during menstruation.ConclusionResults of the trial support the hypothesised positive impact of providing sanitary pads or puberty education for girls’ school attendance in a developing country context. Findings must be interpreted with caution in light of poor participant retention, intervention fidelity, and the attendance measures used.Trial RegistrationPan African Clinical Trials Registry PACTR201503001044408

Reflexiones sobre experiencias de abandono de escuela secundaria y doctorado en Argentina. Modos de cierre y condicionantes individuales e institucionales

<p>El artículo reflexiona críticamente sobre el abandono educativo, comparando desertores de escuelas secundarias y de programas doctorales en la República Argentina. La perspectiva teórica integra las categorías de deserción voluntaria y exclusión académica de Tinto (1989), con los conceptos de habitus y violencia simbólica de Bourdieu (Bourdieu y Passeron, 1981). Las reflexiones surgen del análisis interpretativo de experiencias de abandono en escuelas secundarias y en doctorados. Este fue realizado mediante la relectura, una nueva codificación y categorización del material empírico proveniente de dos tesis de posgrado, con el objetivo de comparar situaciones de abandono educativo que presentan más semejanzas que diferencias. Los resultados describen habitus autoobstaculizadores de los desertores, modos de cierre del abandono y condicionantes institucionales. Se concluye que: el abandono educativo es resultado de un proceso que niega, encubre y minimiza;la exclusión académica predominó mientras que la deserción voluntaria fue excepcionalmente hallada; los desertores desplegaron estrategias individuales, incluso persistir varios años a pesar de obstáculos institucionales, postergaciones personales y efectos nocivos en la salud mental.</p>

Estimating the Epidemiology and Quantifying the Damages of Parental Separation in Children and Adolescents.

Parental separation is linked to multiple negative outcomes for children in all spheres of life. A field study was designed to estimate the epidemiology and to quantify the outcomes on the wellbeing of children from separated parents. Thus, data on socio-economic status, psychological adjustment, behavioral disorders, social relations, self-concept, and academic achievement were gathered from 346 children and adolescents, 173 separated parents, and 173 parents from intact families in the paediatric catchment area of Galicia (Spain). The results showed that parental separation had a significant negative impact on the children’s and adolescents’ family income (increasing the probability of falling below the poverty line); psychological adjustment (i.e., higher scores in anxiety, depression, hostility, paranoid ideation, and interpersonal alienation); social relations (i.e., less self-control in social relations; higher social withdrawal); self-concept (lower levels of academic, emotional, physical, and family self-concept), and academic achievement (lower academic achievement with higher school dropout rates). Moreover, children from separated families had a higher probability of being exposed to gender violence. Epidemiologically, parental separation is associated to the probability of falling below the poverty line 33.9%; being exposed to gender violence 43.2%; and symptoms such as depression, anxiety, hostility, paranoid ideation interpersonal alienation, and social withdrawal, i.e., 20, 17, 27, 20, 19, and 35.5%, respectively. Inversely, self-control in social relations, and academic, emotional, physical, and family self-concept fell to 16, 32, 27, 22, and 37%, respectively. The interrelationship among these variables and the implications of these results for interventions are discussed.

Applied STEM Coursework, High School Dropout Rates, and Students With Learning Disabilities

Applied science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) coursetaking is becoming more commonplace in traditional high school settings to help students reinforce their learning in academic STEM courses. Throughout U.S. educational history, vocational education has been a consistent focus for schools to keep students on the school-to-career pathway. However, very few studies have examined the role of applied STEM coursetaking in improving schooling outcomes for students with learning disabilities. This is a major missing link as students with learning disabilities tend to exhibit much higher dropout rates than students from the general population. This study examines mechanisms displayed through applied STEM courses and the role they play in helping students with learning disabilities complete high school and transition into college. Using a nationally representative data set of high school students and their full transcripts (i.e., Education Longitudinal Study of 2002), we found that students with learning disabilities who took applied STEM courses significantly increased their educational outcomes in the following ways: lowered chances of dropout, increased math test scores, and increased enrollment in postsecondary education. While the general student population also benefited by taking applied STEM courses, the advantages were greater for those students with learning disabilities.

Education Outcomes of Children of Asian Intermarriages: Does Gender of the Immigrant Parent Matter?

Studies about the effects of native and immigrant intermarriage on the human capital of children generally group all immigrants. They ignore disparate impacts by gender, ethnicity, or other attributes. Using 2000 U.S. Census data, we compare the high school dropout rates of 16-17-year-old children of Asian intermarriages and intra-marriages. We study differences between Asian-father and Asian-mother only families, controlling for observable child, parental and residential characteristics, as well as unobservable selection into intermarriage. Despite the higher average education and income levels of intermarried families, the children of Asian-father-native-mother households have higher dropout rates compared to both Asian intra-married and Asian-mother-native-father households. Children of less-educated fathers do worse, relative to children of less-educated mothers, suggesting the importance of intergenerational paternal transmission of education. Racial self-identity is also important – children identify as “non-Asian” more often when the mother is native, and their families may under-emphasize education bringing them closer to native levels.

Pay for Progress The Relationship Between Florida Districts? Teacher Salary Offerings and Their High School Dropout Rates

While teacher effectiveness literature has suggested a potential promising relationship between test-score-based teacher quality and student test score based growth, the question of whether teachers can improve student dropout rates is not as well understood. Grounding our work based on theories that suggest higher salaries may attract better teachers, we utilize panel analyses on three years’ worth of data (2012–2014) to estimate the potential impact of Florida public school districts’ teacher offerings on their dropout rates. We define teacher salaries in three different ways: (1) districts’ average teacher salary, (2) teachers’ earning potential with a given level of education (i.e., bachelor’s and master’s degree holders) within the districts, and (3) districts’ salary-level offering. Our findings support the assertion that improved pay is positively related to lower student dropouts. This finding contributes significantly to the teacher quality, teacher salary, and the high school dropout prevention literature and has policy implications.

Exploring the unknown aspects of Roma community in Cyprus and the role of social work practice

ABSTRACTThe status quo of Roma communities in Europe is strongly marked by marginalisation and discrimination. Roma people tend to face social exclusion and segregation leading to lack of education, chronic unemployment and limited access to healthcare, housing and public services as well as widespread poverty. Very few studies have been conducted as far as Roma community in Cyprus are concerned and almost none has explored quality of life of this ethnic minority. Therefore, this article examines quality of life dimensions in approximately half of the population (n = 156) residing in the catchment area. Both quantitative and qualitative results showed poor standards of living, high school dropout rates and high levels of marginalisation. Social work as discipline can foster a more empowering and coordinating role as to enhance Roma’s distinctive identity and improve standards of living.

Authoritative school climate and high school dropout rates.

This study tested the association between school-wide measures of an authoritative school climate and high school dropout rates in a statewide sample of 315 high schools. Regression models at the school level of analysis used teacher and student measures of disciplinary structure, student support, and academic expectations to predict overall high school dropout rates. Analyses controlled for school demographics of school enrollment size, percentage of low-income students, percentage of minority students, and urbanicity. Consistent with authoritative school climate theory, moderation analyses found that when students perceive their teachers as supportive, high academic expectations are associated with lower dropout rates. (PsycINFO Database Record

The effects of the high school curriculum on school dropout

ABSTRACTHigh school dropouts and their lower employment prospects are a major concern for developed countries. This article answers the question whether the high school curriculum has the potential to affect students’ dropout decision. Focusing on the curriculum is also motivated by the manifold curriculum reforms or reform initiatives worldwide. Using a quasi-experimental evaluation design, we identify the effects of a curriculum reform on students’ probability to drop out of high school in the short run, i.e. for the first three cohorts graduating under the new curriculum requirements. The reform increased the curriculum requirements in high school, for instance, by reducing the freedom of choice in course selection. The results show that high school dropout rates increased for males and females alike.

Introduction to the Special Issue: The Intersectionality of Border Pedagogy and Secondary Education:

Like all people, we perceive the version of reality that our culture communicates. Like others having or living in more than one culture, we get multiple, often opposing messages. The coming together of two self-consistent but habitually incomparable frames of reference causes un choque, a cultural collision. --(Anzaldua, 1987, p.51) For the past two decades, historically marginalized youth have been underachieving in educational settings. More specifically, Latino/a (1) secondary youth have not attained academic success in comparison to other youth (Ek, 2009; Gandara & Contreras, 2009; Contreras, 2011). Much of the blame from schools and other institutions is placed on students, families, and historically marginalized communities of color (Irizarry & Raible, 2011). According to the Pew Hispanic Center (Fry, 2014), Latino/a youth have one of the highest high school dropout rates in the educational system. Numerous research studies on secondary Latino/a youth have demonstrated that culturally irrelevant curricula, pedagogy, unqualified teachers, and other educational factors have influenced the academic path of secondary youth (see Madrid, 2011). Irizarry and Raible (2011) argued that the lives of Latino/a youth continue to be excluded from secondary schools. Further, this causes student disengagement in high schools. Over the past ten years, the student population in the educational system has seen an increase in cultural, linguistic, and ethnic diversity. Further, with the rise and influx of immigrant populations in the United States, communities are becoming highly diverse and consequently, interaction between immigrant populations and mainstream institutions is increasing (Rios, 2013). The U.S Census projects that 50% of the population will consist of culturally, linguistically, racially, ethnic, and religiously diverse groups by 2050 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2012). Despite the increasing growth of diversity within our national borders, issues concerning educational equity and equality have not always been well attended to in educational contexts. Schools and other institutions impacting youth must begin to recognize the daily experiences of students who live in two separate and disconnected worlds, that of home and school. Often, these worlds are in conflict. Although Latino/a youth come to high school with multiple identities, various languages, rich cultural experiences, and powerful lived experiences, they are often pushed into the shadows. High schools, especially urban high school, can be alienating, dehumanizing, and culturally denigrating spaces for youth who are pushed to the margins (Valenzuela, 1999). Border pedagogy (Giroux, 1992) has emerged as a way to disrupt the manner in which marginalized youth are educated in secondary school settings. This special theme issue examines how border pedagogy influences the lives of Latino/a youth in secondary schools. Major Concepts, Research Issues, and Ideas Examined Border pedagogy (Garza, 2007) has been enacted to interrupt the way in which marginalized youth learn within the educational system. Border pedagogy draws from the guiding principles of critical theory (Giroux, 1992) and critical pedagogy (Freire, 1974). Furthermore, border pedagogy is an understanding that there are ideological, epistemological, social and cultural margins that make up the language of power, history and difference (Giroux, 1992). Moreover, conceptual boundaries limit the potential of individuals who are different from those in power. Latino youth and other students of color are disengaged because they don't see themselves reflected in books, schools, and school curriculum (Bartolome, 2008; hooks; 2003; Prieto & Villenas, 2012). Border pedagogy engages learners in multiple references that constitute different cultural codes, experiences and languages to help them construct their own narratives and histories and revise democracy through sociocultural negotiation (Wilson, Ek, Ty, & Douglas, 2014). …