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High school dropouts fall further behind despite improving economy
Job prospects for high school dropouts have gotten a lot more grim these past few years.
Research Wednesday: Counselors need to take holistic approach when preventing dropouts
Across the nation, dropout intervention efforts are focused on helping academically struggling students get the help they need to get to graduation day.
And now, increasingly, programs aimed at preventing dropouts (and recovering those who have already left school) are focusing on giving students the support and flexibility they need to overcome the non-academic obstacles that often stand in the way of a diploma.
But one area that is often neglected is the spiritual and psychological wellness of a student.
In this week’s edition of Research Wednesday, we look at a 2011 study published in the Journal of At-Risk Issues that found that psychological and spiritual components factor into whether a student stays in school.
A GED simply keeps students at the same level as their dropout peers
Students who earn a GED are in the same economic boat as those who drop out of college.
California schools to emphasize career technical education to prevent dropouts
In California, students who participate in programs that emphasize career-oriented education have a higher graduation rate than their peers who don’t.
American Idol contestant chooses to go back to school
Those of us who fight to end the dropout epidemic understand the damage that can be done by celebrities who brag about leaving school.
Tennessee program helps teen moms stay in school
Teenage moms in one Chattanooga school are banding together to offer each other support while counseling their peers not to get pregnant.
The girls are careful to tell their friends who see them with their children that parenting is not as easy as some reality TV shows make it out to be — and none of them would have gotten pregnant so young if they had the choice to make again.
Administrators in Delaware frustrated that students pursuing alternative education routes are still counted as dropouts
About 1,500 students dropped out of school in Delaware last school year, and officials are struggling to pinpoint why.
The Delaware Department of Education does show a decreasing dropout rate, with 71 fewer students dropping out last year than the year before. That continues a three-year decline to 3.7 percent, according to an article on DFMNews.
Having more students stay engaged is encouraging, but administrators believe the numbers could be better — after all, they argue, some of their students are being counted as dropouts even though they are continuing their education.
“I’m asking for the opportunity to think outside of the box,” said Mervin Daugherty, superintendent of Red Clay Consolidated School District. Teachers may be more comfortable suggesting alternate educational routes if those students weren’t counted as dropouts.
Research Wednesday: Schools that address transient students' underlying issues succeed in keeping them in class
Washington County Public Schools presented some dismaying news last week.
The Hagerstown, Md., school district’s dropout rate has increased for the past two years. In the 2009-10 year, the rate was 1.56 percent. That inched up to 1.80 in 2010-11 and then hitting 1.93 percent last school year, according to The Herald Mail.
It should be noted these numbers are down from the 5.5 percent rate in 2000, but seeing an increase in the dropout rate — even a small one — can be discouraging.
Donna Hanlin, assistant superintendent for curriculum, school administration and improvement, said part of the reason for the increase in dropouts was because of a more transient school population.
Research has shown that a transient student population does have negative impacts on student achievement and the classroom environment.
District officials said they are considering an alternate high school to help these students earn their diplomas.
In this post, our first installment of a weekly feature called Research Wednesday, we’d like to share with you a study that shows that programs intended to help transient students only succeed when they address the underlying issues students are facing.
President Barack Obama prioritizes education in his budget
President Barack Obama has sent a love letter to education — just in time for Valentine’s Day.
The president presented his recommended budget to Congress this week, and he is asking for a historic increase in K-12 education.
The Department of Education highlighted his budget request as it impacts schools.
Obama’s budget would provide a $3 billion increase in K-12 education programs, plus up to an additional $1 billion funding if Congress approves his proposed overhaul of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
Philadelphia job prospects bleak for high school dropouts
In Kensington and Eastern North Philadelphia, the unemployment rate for young adult dropouts is close to 50 percent.
And that only scratches the surface.
About half of the area's dropouts between the ages of 20 and 24 aren’t even searching for work, so they aren’t counted in unemployment statistics.
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