The Various Types of Dropout Rates Among Different Categories of People - Essay Example

Social Problem Analysis: High School Dropout Rate Among African-American Males Carmen M. Jones-Wilder SOCW 3420-01 Dr. Jackson September 20, Social Problem Analysis: High School Dropout Rate Among African-American Males When a person abandons a course of study or rejects conventional society to pursue an alternative lifestyle, they are considered a “dropout” by the rest of society. When students no longer attend an accredited high school or obtain a general equivalency degree (GED), they are considered a “high school dropout,” which is, again, a label placed by society. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in the U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences collects, analyzes, and reports data concerning the various types of dropout rates among different categories of people. According to the NCES (2011), the different types of dropout rates are: Averaged freshman graduation rates, which describe the proportion of high school freshmen who graduate with a regular diploma four years after starting ninth grade. These are students that complete their high school education. Event dropout rates describe the percentage of private and public high school students who left high school in a particular year (between the beginning of one school year and the beginning of the next) without earning a high school diploma or its equivalent. This rate is also referred to as an annual dropout rate. Status dropout rates provide cumulative data on dropouts among young adults within a specified age range, usually 15 to 24 years of age, 16 to 24 years of age, or 18 to 24 years of age. They measure the percentage of individuals who are not in school and have not earned a high school diploma or equivalency, irrespective of when they dropped out (Intercultural Development Research Association, 2011). These rates, which are higher than event rates because they include all dropouts, reveal the extent of the dropout problem in the population. Depending on how one would define “dropout” will determine the calculations of the dropout rates. According to the NCES, the high school dropout rate for African-American males has declined over the past decade (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2011); however, inconsistencies in defining and calculating the dropout rates make comparisons difficult, and when they are made, the interpretations may be faulty. However faulty the comparisons and actual percentages are, the nationwide consensus is that African American males drop out of high school at a much higher rate than non-Hispanic White males (National Center on Secondary Education and Transition, 2011). Though the numbers have declined dramatically, it is still an ongoing issue that needs to be addressed. Using the status dropout rate that represents the percentage of an age group (16 - 24) that is not enrolled in school and has not earned a high school diploma or equivalent, such as a GED, the Schott Foundation 50 State Report on Public Education and Black Males 2010 revealed that the overall 2007/08-graduation rate for African American male students nationwide was an alarming forty-seven percent. In fact, over half of the states have graduation rates for African American male students well below the national average of seventy-one percent, a crisis by any measure and a major social problem for the nation. For many African American males, dropping out of school is a process that may begin in elementary school as a gradual disengagement from school, and not an isolated event that occurs during the last few years of high school. The reasons why African American males are dropping out of high school vary widely, but the discernible pattern is an interaction among characteristics of the family and home environment and characteristics of a students experience in school. While one student may drop out because they have simply given up, another student may have dropped out because they have family issues that are preventing them from focusing on their education. Britt Middleton investigated why factors such as generational poverty, unemployment, and the lack of positive male role models in school-aged people are contributing to the high dropout rates among African American youth. Also, high rates of placement in special education classes and disproportionate use of suspension and expulsion only exacerbate the problem. When African American boys do not have proper male role models in their lives, they have nobody to look up to in regard to what a good, successful life is. Likewise, poverty and unemployment make these young men pessimistic toward their future, finding nothing to hope for when they are growing up in less-than-satisfactory conditions. In regard to suspension and expulsion, while troublesome young men should be punished, they are being turned away from the one place that can increase their chance at a successful future, which is their school. All of these aspects, especially combined, simply leads to young men who do not care what their future holds for them, and when nobody is willing to help them, they care even less. In Middleton’s report, it was stated that, “An entire society suffers when one part of a population is ignored. A new focus on our Black boys is a renewed focus on America (Middleton, 2011)." Ronald Mincy, a professor of social policy at Columbia University, conducted one of the most comprehensive studies of Black men. The findings from his report, ‘Black Males Left Behind,’ revealed that during 1979 and 2000, two of the longest periods of sustained economic growth in our nation, the employment and labor force participation rates of young black men with less education fell consistently (Ellis, 2010). Due to this decline, the rate of possible incarceration in regard to these boys increased alarmingly. In addition, Professor Mincy, citing other studies, stated that single parenthood, lack of education, and incarceration are a vicious cycle in the Black community (“Black Males”, 2007). This holds especially true in regard to homes run by a single mother. The statistics of high school dropouts are larger in a single-parent home, and this depends both on the length that the child is in a single-parent home and on gender, with the risk being greater for boys than girls. This goes back to the fact that young men do not have a male role model in their life. It is no coincidence that the cities with the highest dropout rates, New York City and other urban areas, also have the highest crime rates and murder rates. Students who are unable to obtain quality education find opportunities in the world of drugs and crime. Their homes become the streets, and that is also where they end up getting the majority of their unhelpful life lessons. The cycle continues from one generation to another. In poor neighborhoods with poor schools plagued by crime and no opportunity gives birth to another generation with the same problems. If a high school dropout was unconcerned about finishing their schooling due to situations in their environment, they will have the same lack of concern for when they have children. It comes to a point where people within that family have given up on the idea of a quality education, which can lead to a number of positive opportunities. As such, someone needs to step forward, especially in any given family that follows these ideas, and break this counterproductive cycle. Our society values achievement and success, as well as activity and work. However, when it comes to equality, our society is characterized by a high degree of inequality, something many Americans agree with. Equality for many Americans means opportunity, not outcome (Popple & Leighninger, 2011). Institutional racism, as well as discrimination, contributes to the high dropout rate among African American males. For these reasons, policies aimed at helping these young men often face strong opposition. This is where inequality comes fully into play. Our society boasts of equality for all people, yet they are so quick to turn their noses up when something is recommended to help better the lives of our minority brethren. When someone brings to light a situation as serious as the alarming rate of school dropouts among African American males, people need to come together to see what can be done about such an issue. Not only would it help out society as a whole, but it would do a world of good for the young men involved. To help resolve this issue, alternative schools have been created, access to training for GED testing is available, and many mentoring programs have been made available. Not all communities offer the same resources, and many dropouts do not know how to find out what resources are available to them. Many public schools, however, offer aid in helping students come upon these optional resources. Internet directories are also available should someone feel the need to implement one of these resources into their life. These resources are beneficial to young people because it helps them get on the right track and to learn to expect more out of themselves. Instead of continuing to think that they are good for nothing, these resources and the people attached to them can show these young men that they are just as vital to society as anybody else. Over the years, keeping these young men in school has mostly fallen on educators. The proposed American Jobs Act will provide $30 billion for teaching jobs, $25 billion for upgrading public schools, and $5 billion for modernizing community colleges. If the Jobs bill is enacted it will greatly benefit this social problem. However, this is a community-wide problem that needs a community-wide solution from the federal, state and local levels. Amendments to several active policies will need to be made starting with Welfare Reform. As Britt Middleton, Oprah Winfrey, and many others have done, they have asked the “dropouts” themselves their reasons for dropping out of school and what they thought could have been done to prevent it. Dropouts themselves are a valuable resource to help reverse this negative trend (Shulman, 2006). If they can pinpoint the reason why they dropped out, perhaps others can come forward and help turn these situations around. After studying this issue, I would recommend a multidisciplinary approach that includes the student, family, school, social services, and the community. If a student has a safe place to live, food and clothes, and adults that support and listen to them, they are more likely to go to school and stay in school. If they know that their teachers care about their learning and make the curricula relevant to what is going on in the world, these young men would probably stay in school. Additionally, trained and licensed social workers should be in all schools to assist students with their problems in and outside of the classroom. It takes a village to not only raise a child, but to keep him in school and help him to grow into a productive member of society. References Black males, rampant joblessness, high dropout-out rate, incarceration dooming black community: Study. Jet, March 26, 2007. Retrieved from http://findarticles.com/p/ articles/mi_m1355/is_12_111/ai_n18765592/?tag=content;col1 Ellis, T. (2010). Are Black male high school dropout rates hurting America? Race Issues@Suite 101. Retrieved from http://www.suite101.com/content/are-black-male-high- school- drop-out-rates-hurting-america--a280321 Intercultural Development Research Association. (n.d.) Types of dropout data defined. Retrieved September 18, 2011 from http:/www.idra.org/attrition/study/ types_of_dropout_data_defined/ Middleton, B. (2011). Why are more Black males dropping out of high school? Retrieved from https://www.bet.com/news/national/2011/08/16/why-are-more-black-males-dropping-out- of-high-school.html National Center on Secondary Education and Transition. (n.d.) Part I: How are dropout rates measured? What are associated issues? Retrieved September 18, 2011 from https:// www.ncset.org/publications/essentialtools/dropout/part1.2.asp National Center for Education Statistics. (n.d.) The condition of Education. Retrieved September 18, 2011 from https://www.nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/getpubcats.asp? sid=091#060 Popple, P., & Leighninger, L. (2011). The policy-based profession: An introduction to social welfare policy analysis for social workers. 5th Edition. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon Shulman, L. (2006). The skills of helping: Individuals, families, groups, and communities. 5th Edition. Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole Read More