Ricky is 16 years old, yet he is just a freshman in high school because he was held back a grade in elementary school. Recently, Ricky has decided to drop out of school. Discuss the likely origins of his decision and the general factors that lead students to drop out, and give your thoughts on what may be done to keep students like Ricky in school.
What will be an ideal response?
When considering the origin of Ricky's decision to drop out, it is important to remember that his decision is not so much made during adolescence as it is the culmination of a long process that begins early on. Ricky's decision probably has a lot to do with the fact that he was held back a grade in elementary school. Having been held back is one of the strongest predictors of dropping out among adolescents. There are, however, many other reasons that may lead to dropping out. Dropping out is a process characterized by a history of repeated academic failure and increasing alienation from school. Adolescents who leave high school before graduating are more likely to come from lower socioeconomic levels; poor communities; large, single-parent, or non-demanding families; and households where little reading material is available. One approach that has been successful in keeping students from dropping out of school has focused on involving at-risk adolescents in service learning combined with guided discussions of life options to help them see the importance of graduating from high school.
Key Points:
a) Dropping out is not so much a decision made during adolescence as it is the culmination of a long process that begins early on.
b) Having been held back is one of the strongest predictors of dropping out among adolescents.
c) Adolescents who drop out are likely to come from households with limited social and cultural capital.
d) Involving at-risk adolescents in programs that combine service learning with guided discussions of their life options to help them see the importance of graduating from high school has been successful in reducing dropout rates.
You might also like to view...
The Wagner Act calls for management to stop interfering with union organizing efforts and defined unfair labor practices.
Answer the following statement true (T) or false (F)
In the ecological perspective, the linking of microsystems is referred to as an exosystem
Indicate whether the statement is true or false.
_____ statistics allow researchers to predict the probability of events occurring in the future.
Fill in the blank(s) with the appropriate word(s).
Which involves searching for relations?
a. solving the Tower of Hanoi problem b. reasoning by analogy c. means–end analysis d. changing the problem representation