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Anayisha Gauldin

Miss. Figueroa

Senior English

2 November 2018

High School Dropouts

High school dropouts began in 1670, society today has made many teens believe they

will succeed without a high school diploma. Dropout exists in different cultures, different

backgrounds, and different age groups. This has caused high school graduation rates to decrease.

Many students are dropping out of high school. Many students are falling off track of graduation,

because they are not focusing while they are in school. In order to dropout you must be sixteen,

and in order to dropout one must have their parent’s approval. Dropout effects the government

because they must pay for the students who dropout. There is a history of horrible attendance.

Dropping out has been such a normal thing to do for many years.

As others who are fine with dropping out may feel that dropping out of high school can

be a stress reliever, because it releases lots of stress that come with being in school, doing the

work and passing the class. Another reason students are dropping out is, because their family

members need help, and they may have to get a job to help out with bills. Lastly, students are

dropping out because the school does not meet the student's needs. I think high school dropout

will be stopped soon, because teachers will start getting students engaged in the learning, and

find the best way the student learns. Students will not think about dropping out as much as they

have if the school can meet all their needs and keep them interested. If I could influence someone

to stop dropouts, it would the government. I would tell them that the more students that dropout

the more money they would have to pay for their lives. If students could not dropout, then high
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school graduation rates would increase. The government should not allow students to drop out of

school because it does not set them up for success in life.

The results of high school dropouts are not acceptable. High school graduation rates are

decreasing. According to Rumberger “Not only is the graduation rate in the united states

generally low and highly variable, but it also appears to be getting worse” (18). This statement

shows that because rates are low everything is getting worse. Also, students do not think about

their decision and what will be the cause of it. According to Alvin “dropping out of high school

is related to a number of negative outcomes” (1) This says that dropping out of school will have

lots of outcomes that you will not expect. In conclusion, students should think twice about their

actions before they do it.

The crisis od high school dropouts in society is horrible and is continuing to get worse.

Dropping out of high school brings more problems to the economy. The article states “The

negative impact of high school dropouts worsens the economy every time a student chooses to

dropout of school” (9). The more students that dropout the more the economy will be hurt. When

others see you dropout it would make them think differently of you and could affect them

horribly. The author symbolizes “The action will also affect those who surround the individual

and as the number of high school dropouts increases” (6). Dropping out of high school would

make others think that it is a good idea to dropout. In conclusion, high school students should

think about who their surroundings are.

The government should be stricter on making high school students stay in school. The

government should not allow students to drop out of school because it does not set them up for

success in life. Referring to Rumberger “Its time for all of us to come together parents, students,
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principals, and teachers, business leaders....to end America's dropout crisis” (26). From this we

can understand that the author agrees that everyone should come together and stop dropouts in

high school. Dropouts will not have a success in finding certain jobs that they want. Furthermore,

Williamson states “You’ll be competing for jobs your whole life and your education is the only

thing that gives you an edge when your young an don’t have much work experience” (6). We can

conclude from this that without your education there are not many jobs that you are able to get.

All in all, students should stay in school and get their education to be successful, so they could be

able to do what they want later in life.

If students dropout if high school there is a way that they could go back. There are many

sources around that students are able to go to. Chmelynski says “Through a partnership with a

dropout prevention organization called communities in schools, students receive such services as

individual and group counseling”(15). This proves that high schools want to prevent high school

dropout and that they provide more than enough help to students who need it. High schools want

to focus on your future. The author discusses that “ Career exploration is a major school focus. A

school to career specialist provides job-search assistance for all students and graduates and

arranges college visits, internships, job shadowing, career field trips and company tours”

(Chmelynski 13). This indicates that high schools want to make sure that you are successful in

life and focus your career you want to pursue.

Parents should give their children more support, so they can change their mind about

dropping out. Students are not receiving the support that they need during school. According to

Rumberger “Last, I want the acknowledge the support and encouragement from my family” (5).

From this we can conclude that when you show support it encourages students to do better and

lets them know that someone cares. The more support a student gets the less you will hear them
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talk about wanting to dropout. According to Rumberger “I have also benefited greatly from my

ongoing discussions of dropout issues” (4). This statement shows that when the student feels that

you are giving more support you will not have to worry about dropout conversations anymore. In

conclusion, you should show your high school student all your support you can provide and

make them want to stay in school.

Dropping out of high school can make situations easier and challenging at the same time.

You can get through your life without your diploma. Tradeschools.net states “some of the most

successful people in the world never graduated from high school. (1). This tells us that many

people have become successful and they did not complete high school. Some things may be a bit

of a challenge, but you can still get through them. Tradeschools.net states “The bottom line is

that you don’t need your high school diploma to make it in life, but your path could be a lot more

challenging if you don’t have it” (3). From this we can understand that life will get out of hand,

but you can still get passed it. In conclusion, when dropping out you will not have to worry about

school situations, but you will face some situations you may not want to.

Supporting your child decision is stress relieving. There could be a lot going on in a high

schoolers life. Belkin states “ Her father 17 months ago, as well as years of struggling with

“Mononucleosis, attention-deficit disorder, dysgraphia, depression, strep throat(twice), a

severely sprained ankle, pneumonia and countless colds,”(37). This explains that high schoolers

could be going through a lot and have to deal with the stress of high school at the same time.

High school causes you to stay up lost of long nights. Belkin states “ I’d sat with her many nights

as she wept over her homework, struggling to complete work she just didn’t see the point in

doing”(42). This supports the authors claim because homework takes up too much time. In
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conclusion, you should always listen to what your child wants to do and have a discussion about

it.

Dropping out because the student and the teacher are not on the same level. The school is

not focused on what students are supposed to be learning. According to Heller “The main factor

behind this decision was our daughter’s dissatisfaction with the high school education she was

receiving". (4). This tells us that their daughter felt that she was not receiving the education she

needed. Some schools have better education and teaching skills than other high schools.

According to Heller “And she knew that she was not engaged in learning in ways that she had

been in other schools she had attended” (5). This states that she was receiving better education at

her other school than she is at her current school. All in all, you should pay attention to what

school you put your child in and make sure they are getting great education.

Dropping out of high school at the age of sixteen is not the right way to go. When you

dropout, you lose your high school education and later in life you will regret it. When you

dropout you miss out on all the opportunities that would have come for you in the future. Also,

when you dropout you are putting yourself in danger. Furthermore, it increases the

unemployment rates. Mostly everything you would want to do will require a high school

diploma.

In conclusion, Students will not succeed in life if the government allows them to dropout.

Dropout results are horrible, and something should be done to change the situation. The

government should take more action and control of students who are dropping out of high

school. Parents should put more attention on their child and their education. Students should

open up more and share their thoughts and get their selves help. Schools should make programs
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so students can get the help they need and be able to see how important their education is and

how it will have an impact in the future.

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Works Cited

Belkin, Lisa. “Encouraging a High-School Dropout.” The New York Times, The New York

Times, 2 June 2010, parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/02/encouraging-a-high-

school-dropout/.

Chmelynski, Carol. “Getting High-School Dropouts Back in School.” Education Digest, vol. 72,

no. 2, Oct. 2006, p. 38. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=tth&AN=22572374&site=ehost-live.

EVANS, A. High School Dropout and Completion Rates: U.S. Trends, 1972-2012. New York:

Nova Science Publishers, Inc, 2015.

http://www.distance-education.org/Articles/Thinking-About-Dropping-Out-of-High-School--

Think-Again-242.html

https://www.trade-schools.net/articles/how-to-drop-out.asp

http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=17&sid=4715d0a2-f928-4ba4-a0f1-

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rumberger,r.w.dropping out.cambridge,mass:harvard university press 2001

www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/06/27/36heller.h33.html

“Why Students Drop Out Of High School Education Essay.” UKEssays.com,

www.ukessays.com/essays/education/reasons-as-to-why-students-drop-out-of-high-school-

education-essay.php.