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High School Redesign
Your voice can make a difference. Take action by contacting your members of the U.S. House and Senate.
Did you know that every 29 seconds a student drops out of high school? That is 6-7,000 kids lost every school day, or 1.2 million kids lost every year. Among African-American and Hispanic students the graduation rate is about 55 percent, or roughly one of every two students.
What does life hold for the
students who drop out?
Over their lifetime, a high school dropout will earn $260,000 less than someone who completes high school and $1 million less than someone who completes college. Education means better health. According to the Centers for Disease Control, The U.S. death rate for those with fewer than 12 years of education is 2.5 times higher than the rate of those with 13 years of education or more. A high school dropout is 3.5 times more likely than a high school graduate to be arrested.
What about the societal cost
of dropouts?
A 5 percent increase in the number of male high school graduates would save the nation almost $5 billion in costs associated with incarceration. Dropouts from the class of 2004 will cost the nation more than $325 billion in lost productivity, taxes, and wages over their lifetime.
Why do kids drop out?
A 2005 survey of high school dropouts provided some very interesting insights into why kids drop out. The survey, conducted for the Gates Foundation, showed that of those who dropped out:
- Almost half (47 percent) cited a lack of interest in class among the reasons for dropping out. They reported being bored and disengaged from high school. Incidentally, many who gave this reason also had higher grade-point averages and hung around with people who had dropped out.
- Almost 70 percent said they were not motivated or inspired to work hard. Many of them felt that they could have graduated had more been demanded of them academically.
- Many had to drop out for personal reasons ranging from the need to get a job and help support the family to pregnancy.
What can be done to make high school more challenging and meaningful?
Personalize learning! Enable students, teachers, and parents to develop a learning plan and graduation pathway that ensures each child graduates while meeting high standards.
Make it relevant! Show students the real world applications of their education through different lessons outside the school building. Learn about music in a music store or by doing an internship with a local musician or band. Teach the importance of chemistry and photosynthesis by spending one day a week at a working farm. Just because it's learning doesn't mean it can't be fun!
Provide mentors and meaningful relationships! Research consistently demonstrates that kids do better in school and remain engaged if they have a good relationship with one adult in the building. These relationships include academics but go beyond if necessary to offer students assistance and insight into items outside the classroom.
Give teachers flexibility! Teachers need flexibility to work differently and freedom to design exciting and innovative lessons. They also need options to expand their own education. Empower and invigorate teachers with opportunities for new approaches and ideas so that they can ensure high academic achievement for all of their students.