Irma Romero
Staff Reporter
A recent study at Educationdata.org has shown a shocking improvement from 1995 to 2017 of 6.6% fewer dropout students.
It is essential to know why high school dropouts are decreasing. In the past, students had to push their way to get an education. Yes, students do that now, but the difference is that students were more of a "go-getter" back then. Meaning, there was a lot of pressure for young people to get jobs as soon as possible to support their families.
Now, students' mentality has changed. Of course this does not refer to all of them, but the majority of students value getting a diploma. If the few that do not were to have a positive mindset and push themselves beyond the limit, they could accomplish anything. A common reason for this is that high school students who are not interested in college may not see the value in high school education. This thought often leads to the idea of "Why waste my time in high school when I am not even going to college."
Students often drop out of high school due to apathy, boredom, drugs, family, and wanting to join the workforce at a young age. Also, these high school students often report that academic content is not exciting, and they do not have a personal connection with their teachers or peers.
Boredom is a problem that must be addressed by students, parents, school faculty, and education boards to see if there are better course offerings, as well as more student-teacher interactions.
According to an article in "Psychology Today" high school dropouts may have other alternatives that seem more appealing, such as getting a job or starting a career. Many may choose this option due to a need to support their family, lack of interest, or them becoming a parent.
Those are a few problems that can be the catalyst behind their decision. Students who do not complete high school are usually eligible to take a GED test later on in life. Although this is excellent news, that does not mean a GED is as essential or equivalent to a high school diploma.
Like in life, there are consequences. For students who choose to drop out of high school, the impacts include fewer job opportunities, lower salaries, and a negative social stigma.
All in all, it is great news that the high school dropout rate is going down, and hopefully as more students and families learn the causes and consequences of dropping out the rates will go down even farther.
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