Who Drops Out of School and How can We Help?

If we understand these variables, we can influence youth in completing school by engaging our partners and sponsors to achieve this goal

AGE  Students who drop out tend to be older compared to their grade-level peers.

GENDER   Students who drop out are more likely to be male. Females often drop out for reasons associated with pregnancy.

SOCIOECONOMIC BACKGROUND  Drop outs are more likely to come from low-income families.

ETHNICITY   The rate of drop out is higher on average for Black, Hispanic and First Nation youth.

NATIVE LANGUAGE   Students who come from non-English speaking backgrounds are more likely to have higher rates of drop out.

REGION   Students are more likely to drop out if they live in urban settings as compared to suburban or non-metropolitan areas.

MOBILITY   High levels of household mobility contribute to increased likelihood of dropping out.

ABILITY   Lower scores on measures of cognitive ability are associated with higher rates of drop out.

DISABILITY   Students with disabilities (especially those with emotional/behavioral disabilities) are at greater risk of drop out.

PARENTAL EMPLOYMENT   Drop outs are more likely to come from families in which the parents are unemployed.

SCHOOL SIZE AND TYPE   School factors that have been linked to drop out include school type and large school size.

FAMILY STRUCTURE   Students who come from single-parent families are at greater risk of drop out.

HOW CAN WE HELP?

If we work on these alterable variables associated with drop out then we can achieve measurable results

GRADES Students with poor grades are at greater risk of drop out.

DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR   Students who drop out are more likely to have exhibited behavioral and disciplinary problems in school.

ABSENTEISM   Rate of attendance is a strong predictor of drop out.

SCHOL POLICIES   Alterable school policies associated with drop out include raising academic standards without providing supports, tracking and frequent use of suspension.

SCHOOL CLIMATE   Positive school climate is associated with lower rates of drop out.

PARENTING HOMES   characterized by permissive parenting styles have been linked with higher rates of drop out.

SENSE OF BELONGING   Alienation and decreased levels of participation in school have been associated with increased likelihood of drop out.

ATTITUDES TOWARD SCHOOL   The beliefs and attitudes (e.g. Focus of control, motivation to achieve) that students hold toward school are important predictors of drop out.

EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT IN THE HOME   Students whose families provide higher levels of educational support for learning are less likely to drop out.

RETENTION STUDENTS   who drop out are more likely to have been retained than students who graduate. Using National Education Longitudinal Study data, being held back was identified as the single biggest predictor of dropping out.

STRESSFUL LIFE EVENTS   Increased levels of stress and the presence of stressors (e.g. financial difficulty, health problems, early parenthood) are associated with increased rates of drop out.

Source: National Center on Secondary Education & Transition (2007)