High School Graduation Rates for the Economically Disadvantaged

Economically disadvantaged students may need help to graduate.

According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, the high school completion rate in 2008 was almost 90 percent. Nearly ten percent of adolescents do not complete high school; many of these students are economically disadvantaged. Certain socioeconomic factors increase or decrease the dropout risk for students. Intervention programs work to identify students in need and to prevent a negative academic outcome.

Socioeconomic Factors

The Economic Policy Institute reports that the number of children in families with one or both parents unemployed or underemployed rose from 9.1 percent in 2007 to 18.3 percent in 2010. An unfortunate truth in the United States is that blacks, Hispanics and Native Americans are more likely to live in families at or below the poverty level. Therefore, these ethnic groups have higher dropout rates than Caucasian or Asian students. According to the American Sociological Association, 76 percent of black children from lower-income areas graduate high school. Low-income white children are also impacted negatively, though not to the same degree, graduating at a rate of 87 percent.

Personal Roadblocks

Children who are economically disadvantaged have many different personal roadblocks that interfere with the completion of graduation requirements. Students in these situations often come from neighborhoods with high crime rates, or families who use drugs and abuse alcohol. According to a study in the Journal of Vocational and Technical Education, the academic struggles of lower-income adolescents might be the result of poor work attitudes, a lack of positive role models, and academic and workplace discrimination.

Risky Behaviors

While a student's socioeconomic status or family environment may be out of their control, participating in risky behaviors is certainly within their control. The Education Commission of the States reports that certain behaviors may increase the likelihood of dropping out of school, such as: unsafe sex, teenage pregnancy, drug and alcohol abuse, truancy, and delinquency or criminal actions. Teens who participate in these activities often fail in school or face criminal disciplinary reprimand.

Intervention Programs

Once school districts have identified at-risk students, they can intervene by trying to meet the needs of the children and their families. Many such programs focus on community involvement, extra academic support and transitioning students from middle school to high school. In the article Helping At-Risk Students Succeed, Tori DeAngelis reports that the Sabine Parish School District in Louisiana saw an increase in graduation rates from 73 percent in 2007 to 81.2 percent in 2010 after implementing such an intervention program.

References

• American Psychology Association: Helping At-Risk Students Succeed
• Education Next: Getting At-Risk Teens to Graduation
• Mid-Atlantic Equity Center: Dropout Prevention and Reentry for High Risk Students
• National Dropout Prevention Center: Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rates at the school level: School Year 2010-11
• Education Commission of the States: At-Risk Youth
• Journal of Vocational and Technical Education: Effects Of Economic Disadvantaged Status And Secondary Vocational Education On Adolescent Work Experience And Postsecondary Aspirations
• National Center for Education Statistics: Trends in High School Dropouts and Completion Rates in the United States: 1972-2008
• American Sociological Association: Study: growing up in bad neighborhoods has a devastating impact
• Economic Policy Institute: Share of children with at least one unemployed or underemployed parent