Addressing High School Dropout Rates - Assignment Example

I. Research Question Quantitative Research Design Successfully Addressing High School Dropout Rates: A Review of Dropout Prevention Strategiesand Programs Research Problem The high dropout rates of high school students has long been recognized as a problem in the United States; so much so that numerous presidential administrations have lobbied to fight against its continued increase through the development and creation of dropout prevention strategies and programs. This is because non-completion engenders a lot of negative consequences for the undergrad, which includes a high likelihood of being involved in criminal activities and going to prison, a marked decrease in career opportunities, and consequently, the tendency to become financially incompetent (Rumberger, 2003; Shore, 2003). The fact that dropout prevention is being considered seriously is a good thing; however, the question arises as to which of these dropout prevention strategies and programs are really successful. Furthermore, schools should become more educated in dropout prevention in order for them to more effectively choose and apply the program and strategy that are appropriate in their situation. Hence, a review of the current and most popular dropout prevention strategies and programs is needed in order to ascertain what these different programs do, how they work, the concept behind them, and how successful have they been in their agenda of reducing high school dropout rates. Methodology The research design that will be used to complete this review is the quantitative research methodology as the research problem in itself is quantitative in nature. Statistics will play an important role in this study as the review will include relevant studies that have been made that shows the success rates of various dropout prevention strategies and programs. Only these statistical references will be used as this research will act as a review and compilation of available journal articles. These statistical data will be presented accordingly and analyzed using a point system of tallying. Data Collection. This research will be based solely on secondhand research. Statistical data composed of percentages of success rates will be compiled in order to ascertain which dropout prevention strategy and program works best at a given situation—high school students and dropouts differ in characteristics and so, various dropout prevention programs will have varying effects on the student population. This research will be based on these reliable references as undertaking an experiment that will have the desired effect will involve a lot of time and money. Data Analysis. Once the statistical data has been gathered, categories will be created based on each of the dropout prevention’s supposed forte and whether they have been found to be successful in these. This is the act of coding information in which data is organized in a way that will make more sense. For instance, Check and Connect is a dropout prevention program that targets students with low grades. Are monitoring and mentoring successful strategies for this program? Is the program as a whole effective in decreasing high school dropout rates? These questions will be answered by a yes or no and will be tallied accordingly. In effect, the percentage of those who have found the Check and Connect program to be successful will be averaged as well as the strategies of mentoring and monitoring. The programs and strategies with the highest probability of success will then be summarized in the conclusion. For instance, Check and Connect works best in a high school composed of dropout students whose reason for non-completion is low grades, while student engagement works best for those high schools with a high percentage of high school student dropouts who felt that school was not that interesting. Qualitative Research Design Title: The Most Common Reasons Why High School Students Drop Out Research Question: Why do high school students dropout? Methodology The research question is qualitative in nature as it aims to answer a “why” question. It delves into a human phenomenon that cannot be explained by a single event. Ascertaining the most common reasons why high school students drop out is a task that needs a qualitative research design in order for the question to be answered more accurately. Data Collection. Intensive or in-depth interviews will be used as the main tool for data gathering. First, relevant research will be made regarding the participants, as well as the topic of the research in order to be able to create a set of interview questions that will evoke the desired response and get the needed data for a more accurate and meaningful data analysis. Each participant will then be interviewed according to the date and time that is most convenient for them. Each interview will be recorded and transcribed. Identities of the participants will remain anonymous. The interviewer has the discretion to ask more questions depending on the direction of the interview. An observant will also be present to take down important notes. Sampling. The research will make use of purposive sampling. At least 20 high school dropouts will be chosen from different schools within the state in order to represent the varied characteristics of dropouts and the schools where they came from. Participants. The participants will consist of 20 third and fourth year high school dropouts within the school years 2006-2007 and 2007-2008. Data Analysis. The transcribed data that includes participant characteristics, like age, race and family background, will be analyzed through the coding system. Each transcription will be read carefully and answers will be tallied according to various categories and subcategories in order to ascertain the most common reasons as to why these students drop out of high school. Variables will also be taken into consideration in order to show if there are important correlations between them and the ultimate decision to drop out. The coding process aims to be able to make sense of the data, identify and recognize correlations between categories and subcategories, and being able to arrive at new findings. The coding process will be repeated until an accurate conclusion can be made and the data is thought to make sense. II. Conflict Resolution The controversies facing schools today are different in nature in comparison to those encountered in the past years. The school administration plays a very important role in building a constructive environment and dealing with conflicts. Conflicts occur due to a dispute in needs, drives, desires, and/or demands. Since conflict is an unavoidable component of our lives, it is essential to learn how to respond to it in a constructive manner (Bodine, Crawford and Schrumpf, 1994). Conflicts today come in the form of harassing and bullying through the use of technology, communicating online hazards, and surfacing of female aggression. Among the major responsibilities of the school administration is to manage conflicts in the school, especially nowadays when violence is prevalent. Leadership is a comprehensive role because it entails cooperation, continuous improvement, listening to other’s opinions and evaluating it, as well. Katz and Lawyer (1993) have enumerated several approaches to conflict management which might be very helpful for schools, which are as follows: “1.) insightful listening; 2.) upholding courtesy; 3.) taking apart designation and interests; and 4.) definition of goals and at the same considering the interests of those who are involved in the situation” (Anderson, 2005). Aggression can either be physical or oral. As children mature, their aggression tends to be more physical in nature. This is also because movies, television shows and even cartoons glorify violence. Children grow up watching their idols show how macho they are by knocking out their enemies. Greater attention has also been given to aggressive sports like basketball, boxing, wrestling, mixed martial arts, and the like. The emerging popularity of The UFC (The Ultimate Fighting Champion) may have also bred a slew of aggressive behavior among the youth. Of course, they would imitate their idols in order to be more like them and achieve the success and fame they have. And so, schools are plagued with aggressive behavior; so much so, that it is now not uncommon for security checks to be installed at school entrances, wherein weapons and other things that can be used as such are confiscated. Modern technology has also made way for the rise of more conflicts in universities. The internet, for one, has perpetuated an increase in acts of plagiarism. Because everything can be found online, students are tempted to just copy and paste texts from these websites and pass them off as their own. Where before, plagiarism is a serious crime that is not that prevalent; nowadays, students are charged with plagiarism at a regular basis. The problem has reached new heights in that businessmen have already capitalized on this fact and plagiarism checkers are software that is commonly used by schools and universities nowadays. The issue of plagiarism has made it more difficult for educators to trust their students and for students to become encouraged and motivated to learn by doing their assignments, papers and projects diligently. Another trend that has opened the doors of conflict in schools is the prevalent use of cellular phones. Instead of paying attention in class, students are busy “texting” their friends or browsing the internet in their mobile phones. The cellphone acts as a distraction that prevents students from learning all that they can in the classroom. Many, if not all, professors are angered by this and this results to more conflict as the students feel that their teachers simply just do not understand them and what is important to them. There are various reasons why conflict is always present anywhere, which does not make schools as an exception. Modern trends related with race, gender, technology, and socio-economic factors must be gathered and scrutinized by an efficient leader in order to hone the leader’s skill in handling conflicts. Communication skills, oral and written, are important skills that an educational leader must possess because communication is vital in handling conflicts. Others need to be involved in the process of resolving conflicts—transmitting interpretations, conveying constraints, and communicating solutions to the predicament. Other skills that are very useful are as follows: orientation abilities (compassion, empathy, fairness, and trust), perception abilities (empathy, self-evaluation), emotional abilities (self-expression, self-control), creative-thinking abilities (brainstorming, contemplating) and critical thinking abilities (Bodine, et al., 1994). Hence, there should be a strict classroom plan in place in order to prevent and control these types of unruly behavior. Modern technology should not be made as the enemy, instead its importance and use should be channeled to the advantage of both teachers and students. Recognize the problem in order to be able to address them properly. Knowing the various cultural trends and factors that disrupt learning and provide conflict in the school is necessary in order to be able to promote holistic learning. III. Issues and Trends in Education Kouzes and Posner (2007) authored a book entitled “The Leadership Challenge” that makes leadership, not only approachable, but more applicable to those who endeavour to become more effective leaders. Kouzes and Posner states “Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership” as the most effective ways of overcoming challenges in the workplace. These are: (1) challenging the process; (2) shared vision; (3) empowering others; (4) setting an example; and (5) motivating others through acknowledgement of their talent and good work. These are critical ingredients in educational leadership as educators are more involved in communal activities. Furthermore, because educators deal with a varied population that includes students, parents, school administrators and other teachers, effective leadership becomes more complicated. For one, the age bracket and generation gaps breed more difficulties for communication. Therefore, these five practices greatly enhance the performance outcome of the various stakeholders in education like students, teachers, parents, administrators, etc. As an educational leader, I find the first paradigm of leadership extremely critical to the educational arena. Education needs to retain its flexibility in order to absorb and incorporate the evolving socio-environmental values within the academia. Furthermore, educators need to consistently update the curricula and teaching methods and strategies to be able to keep up with the times and become more effective teachers. It is important to realize that change is an integral part of life and the academic world must be able to meet the challenges of the changing times with vigour and creative inputs. Thus, it becomes essential for educational leaders to challenge the existing processes in order to be able to improve the statues quo and adapt innovative techniques. Although it can be said that these five practices are equally important in educational leadership in that a shared vision is something that a school needs to promote in order to be able to achieve the goal of producing well-rounded individuals out of their students; empowering other is essential in encouraging students to become more interested in their studies; setting an example is a must as the teachers are considered to be the role models of students; and motivating others through acknowledgement of their talent and good work is definitely important in giving the students confidence to excel, I feel that challenging the process can best describe my perceived role as an educational leader. I believe that although traditional practices may still and always be effective, there is a need to incorporate new ideas into the classroom. For instance, the use of modern technology to teach students and get their interest is something that I want to promote. Although some traditional educators may frown upon this, I believe that using these new innovations to the students’ advantage is best, especially nowadays when these technologies pervade our everyday lives. A very clear cut example would be the use of the internet to promote better communication, not only between the students, but also between teachers and students, students and parents, and parents and teachers. Creating an online community wherein everyone has access to it at whatever time of the day can help promote effective communication and learning. Instead of viewing the internet as the enemy, it could instead be used as a tool for learning. Likewise, I also want to endorse the application of various new teaching strategies like the ones shown in our cases about empowerment. Although traditional educators may seem sceptical at first and may even oppose it, I would like to try to work it through like what the principals did in the cases we have studied. Of course, I would have to choose the correct program and strategies that are most appropriate in the current school situation. Questioning the status quo leads to improvement—that is, determining what needs to stay and what needs to go and what should replace them. If everyone just bows down to tradition and no one wants to break the norm, then these innovations will have been for naught. Hence, I believe that challenging the process is the practice that best encapsulates my perceived role as a leader—although of course, ideally, I want to imbibe all five in order to become a more effective leader in education. References Anderson, M. J. (2005). Conflict management and the prospective principal. Academic Exchange Quarterly. Retrieved October 9, 2009 from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb3325/is_2_9/ai_n29205540/ Bodine, R., Crawford, D. and Schrumpf, F. (1994). Creating the peaceable school: A comprehensive program for teaching conflict resolution. Champaign, II: Research Press, Inc. Katz, N. & Lawyer, J. (1993). Conflict resolution building bridges. Retrieved on October 9, 2009 from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb3325/is_/ai_n29205540 Kouzes, J. M and Posner, B. Z. (2007). The Leadership Challenges, 4th Ed. [Place of Publication]: John Wiley and Sons. Rumberger, R. (2003). High ѕchool dropout: A review оf thе iѕѕueѕ аnd evidence. Review оf Educational Reѕearch, 57, 101-121. Shore, R. (2003). KIDS COUNT indicator brief: Reducing the high school dropout rate. Baltimore, MD: Annie E. Casey Foundation. Read More