Discuss the consequences of dropping out and the educational and social factors that may lead an individual to do so

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Dropping out of high school has severe long term financial and personal consequences. The median income of persons ages 18 through 67 who had not completed high school is now about $23,000 per year; in comparison high school completers averaged $42,000 . Among adults ages 25 and older, a lower percentage of dropouts are in the labor force and those that are face a greater risk of unemployment. Dropouts also face personal problems. They report being in worse health than adults whom completed high school. Dropouts also make up disproportionately higher percentages of the nation's prison and death row inmates.

Educational factors
Failed courses, GPA, absences, and being pushed out

Social factors
When surveyed, most dropouts say they left either because they did not like school or because they wanted to get a job. Some dropouts could not get along with teachers, had been expelled, or were under suspension. Almost half of all female dropouts left school because they were pregnant or had already given birth.

Poverty and family dysfunction increase the chances of dropping out among all racial and ethnic groups. Dropouts are more likely than graduates to have lived in single-parent families headed by parents who were educational underachievers themselves. Other social risk factors include poor problem-solving ability, low self-esteem, difficulty getting along with teachers, dissatisfaction with school, substance abuse, and being too old for their grade level.