School Dropout on the

Rise
By Camille Knuston, Taylor Walls, and Andrea Camargo
High School Survey
Think back to High School. How many of you know someone
that…

● Got pregnant?
● Was teased at school?
● Always got bad grades?
● Had problems making friends?
● Dropped out of High School?

Andrea
Camargo
In Class Starter Activity...
Discussion in groups:
What does “student dropout” mean and
how can it affect a students’ future?

Allow 5 minutes for discussion

Pull the class back together and have a class discussion. Making sure
each group gets a chance to participate and share.
Taylor Walls
What is a School Dropout? What defines it?
A student dropout is a term with many different definitions,
depending on which city, state or country you are in. After browsing
through the many different definitions I found this one which stood
out to me.

A School Dropout is…….

“Any student who leaves school for any reason

before graduation or completion of a program of
studies without transferring to another elementary or
secondary school” Taylor Walls
What are incentives and/or theories to dropping out?

➢ Poor grades
➢ No motivation
➢ Need to get a job to help out their family
➢ Lack of parent involvement
➢ Drugs/Alcohol
➢ Feel too far behind to catch up
Taylor Walls
 Taylor Walls

Can a school prevent it? If so how?

YES!!! Teachers and school staff have a huge affect on students and can help prevent their
students from dropping out.

Communicate Don’t pressure them to do too much

Talk to them about career realities Stay in touch with the school

Be supportive and involved

Consider a gap year

Consider a different school Encourage a break, rather than quitting

 Prevention Continued… (What they mean)
Communication: Make sure they know
they can always come to you and trust
you.

Talking to them about career

realities: Relate to them and
show the different career
paths.
Support and involvement:
Help them out when needed
ex: tutors, counselors, career
shadow.

Different school options:

Always more options, can
even introduce online school. Taylor Walls
Prevention Continued...
Don’t pressure: Encourage student
to prioritize and not stress them out
with pressure.

Stay in touch with the school:

Principal, teachers, and parents
should be talking when needed.

Consider gap year: Many programs

available to ensure education is still
priority.

Encourage a break rather quitting:

Ex: Take fewer credits next
Taylor Walls semester and don’t give up.
Percentage of why Students Dropout:
Why students drop out: There are three different types of reasons
students either choose to/ have to drop out of school.

1. School-Related reasons
2. Family-Related reasons
3. Employment-Related reasons

Camille Knutson
Drop-out Rates
❖ The most common reasons/ who is dropping out of School (Highschool)

❖ 36% of students who have a disability (physical or learning) dropout of high school

❖ 54% of students who dropout of high school left in 10th or 11th grade

❖ The ACGR for students with limited English proficiency was 66% in 2018

❖ 73% of high school dropouts indicated their parents tried to talk them into staying compared to 37%

indicating their school tried to talk them into staying

❖ 53% of dropouts said their parents offered to help them with personal problems vs. 24% indicating

their school offered to help

❖ 75% of high school dropouts never participated in an alternative program or school

Camille Knutson
Dropout Case Study Recap
What Dropping out/School drop-out means:

● Student who does not complete school before their graduation,

whatever the reason may be. They need to be able to transfer
before that graduation period.

Why do Students drop out?

● School, Family/Personal, Employment related issues

Prevention:

● Don’t pressure, Keep in touch w/ school, take a gap year, and

lastly Encourage a break rather than dropout.
Dropout Case Study Recap Cont.
● Dropout Rates:

The amount of drop out rates are are in the 50 percentile of the
spectrum.

The grades that are most common to dropout are between 10th- 11th

★ Overall Dropouts happen everywhere, and are becoming much

more common; because students feel they don’t need a education
to be successful based on the fact of others who have been more
successful than the average college student who completes school.
Class Discussion
Within your groups, answer the
following questions and prepare
to share with the class one your
answers
● Are there any preventative measures
that educators can do to keep
students in school until after
graduation?
● What factors cause students to leave
before graduation?
● What are a few things Mr. Madison
can do for his students?

Andrea Camargo
Programs for at risk/dropout students

● Adolescent Pregnancy and Parenting Program (APPP)

○ Help pregnant and parenting teens stay in school and graduate from high school
● Adult Education Program
20435 S. Ellsworth Rd. Queen Creek, AZ 85142
(480) 987-5988
○ Provides educational opportunities to increase English language skills, obtain their High School
Equivalency (HSE) diploma, gain access to quality educational opportunities to support employment, job
training, and higher educational goals
● Primavera Online School
○ Ideal for students who need to get back on track, require personalized support, or want to learn from
home
● National Dropout Prevention Center
○ Their mission “Since inception, the National Dropout Prevention Center has worked to improve
opportunities for all young people to fully develop the academic, social, work, and healthy life skills
needed to graduate from high school and lead productive lives. By promoting awareness of successful
programs and policies related to dropout prevention, the work of the Center and its members has made
an impact on education from the local to the national level.”
Andrea
Camargo
Programs for at risk/dropout students cont.
● Big Brother Big Sister of Arizona
4745 N. 7th Street Suite 210
Phoenix, AZ 85014
○ One-to-One mentoring relationships to
help youth realize their potential
● ARISE
○ Alternatives to Incarceration for At-Risk
Youth
○ Provide programs such as teaching life
skills for High School students that has
shown success with preventing drop-out

Andrea
Camargo
Denzel Washington on High School Dropouts, At-Risk
Youth - PBS NewsHour
Andrea
Camargo
 One-Minute Paper
Using the notecard, you will have one
minute to write down 1-2 key points
from the lesson

Andrea
Camargo
References
Adult Education Program. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2020, from
https://www.qcusd.org/Adult_Education_Program
ASCD. (n.d.). Special Report / Why Students Drop Out. Retrieved April 14, 2020, from
http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/apr07/vol64/num07/Why-Students-Drop-Out.aspx
Big Brothers Big Sisters Transforms Lives. (n.d.). Retrieved April 14, 2020, from https://www.bbbsaz.org/
Denzel Washington on High School Dropouts, At-Risk Youth - Pbs NewsHour. (2011). Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgrnvKZ91bI
Doll. (2017). Why Students Drop Out. Retrieved from
http://dropoutprevention.org/resources/statistics/quick-facts/why-students-drop-out/
Evidence-Based Life Skills Lessons and Professional Staff Training by the ARISE Foundation. (n.d.). Retrieved
April 14, 2020, from https://at-riskyouth.org/
High school dropout rate: Facts, figures, & trends. (n.d.). Retrieved April 15, 2020, from
https://educationdata.org/high-school-dropout-rate/
Home. (2020, April 3). Retrieved April 13, 2020, from https://www.primavera-online-high-school.com/
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Reasons for dropping out of school - school view. (n.d.). Retrieved April 15, 2020, from
https://sites.google.com/site/schoolviewjsh/reasons-for-dropping-out-of-school
 References Continued...
Resources for Schools and Teachers During School Closings. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2020, from
http://dropoutprevention.org/
TeenAge Pregnancy Program (TAPP) / APPP. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2020, from
https://www.tempeunion.org/Page/613
Writers, S. (2020, April 13). Preventing Students from Dropping Out: Resources & Advice. Retrieved April 14,
2020, from https://www.accreditedschoolsonline.org/resources/preventing-students-dropping-out/
You can do it word banner hold in hand stock vector. (n.d.). Retrieved April 14, 2020, from
https://www.123rf.com/photo_22092905_you-can-do-it-word-banner-hold-in-hand-stock-vector.html