Let's Go Right To The Source

Finding ways to reduce high school dropout rates is always challenging for schools, administrators, parents, and the city's community leaders. In order to determine why students are dropping out, we need to ask them directly this important question. A variety of reasons and explanations have been given by students who were surveyed for The Silent Epidemic. In an article entitled, "Engaged for Success", by the National Conference on Citizenship and Civic Enterprises LLC, they asked students why they dropped out of school. According to the survey, dropouts offered a multitude of explanations, from the fact that they missed too many days and could not catch up, too much time spent with people who were not interested in school, too much freedom and not enough rules in their lives, and to their perception that they were failing in school. But the most common explanation was that classes were not interesting.

As stated in the "Engaged for Success" article, students were then asked, "What would improve the chance of success for high school students?" The dropouts surveyed offered some possible useful recommendations.

• Eighty-one percent of the dropouts said that schools should offer more real-world learning experiences, such as internships to make the classrooms more relevant.


• The same percentage indicated that better teachers who keep classes interesting would improve students' chances of staying in school.

Others indicated the need for:

• Smaller classes with more individual instruction.


• Better communication between parents and school, and by getting parents more involved.


• Parents making sure their kids go to school everyday.


• Increased supervision at school to ensure students attend classes.

It was with these recommendations that students who dropped out believed that it would have helped them from making the decision to dropout. So, are there any real interventions that may help to stem the tide of student dropout rates? We must implement successful solutions that will prevent a "Dropout Nation" from continuing to perpetuate. It is the job of school, administrators, parents and the city's community leaders to promote a safe, challenging, interesting and real-world learning experiences for these students in order for them to "Engage for Success".