High School Dropouts
Generally, high school dropouts don’t accomplish the same as a high school graduate. In my personal experience this is not the case. I am in fact a high school dropout from 1990. I have retained high paying positions in companies with out a diploma. I was the sole provider for my daughter since she was three years old. I have never utilized public assistance to support her. Since 2007, I have received my General Educational Development (GED), graduated from cosmetology school and received my license, applied to and was accepted to nursing school, and started my accounting degree which is on plan to be completed in mid 2015. It is stated that high school dropouts are more likely to be unemployed, have poor health, live in poverty, be on public assistance, and be single parents (Stillwell & Sable, 2013).
As defined by the National Center for Education Statistics, dropping out is defined as leaving school without a high school diploma or equivalent credential such as a General Educational Development (GED) certificate ("National center for," 2013).
In March of 1990 I made the choice to end my high school career without a diploma. I was in fact deemed a social student since I didn’t attend many classes. The truth is I did not like to be told what I had to do and where and when I had to do something. When I left my high school that day I thought I was the coolest kid on the block. In truth I was not, instead I was an idiot that knew nothing about life or what was to come in my life. A rough road started, as my parents informed me if I was not going to go to high school then I needed to get to work.
Contrary to popular opinion there are positions available for those who do not have a diploma. These posi...
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...have poor health, live in poverty, been on public assistance, and I am no longer a single parent (Stillwell & Sable, 2013). The fact is that I made my life what I wanted it to be and I did this.
Reference:
Mayberry, K. J. (2009). Everyday arguments: A guide to writing and reading effective arguments. (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Merriam-webster, incorporated. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dropout
National center for education statistics. (2013). Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/index.asp?faq=FFOption6
Stillwell, R., & Sable, J. Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. (2013). Public school graduates and dropouts from the common core of data: School year 2009–10 (NCES 2013309REV). Retrieved from website: http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2013309rev
There are many different reasons why students decide to drop out of school, according to Stats Canada “Young men continue to have higher dropout rates then young women. In 2009/2010, 10.3% of young men and 6.6% of young women had dropped out of high school.” (Gilmore, 2010) Men have a higher rate of dropping out of school because they tend to want to work and make money rather than getting their education. Men are better known to not be that involved in school as much as women would and if they have the opportunities to have a job without their education they would opt to do that instead of staying in school because they would rather be making money then getting their education. They may feel that work is more of a priority and that making money is more important. Young women have different reasons than young men to why they may opt to drop out of school. “Young women were more likely to drop out because of personal or family reasons, such as pregnancy or having a young child at home.” (Gilmore, 2010)
The article Should the Obama Generation Drop Out, written by Charles Murray, a politicial scientist, is the idea of disregarding the bachelor 's degree as a job qualification. With his leadership role as the President, Murray believes Barrack Obama should be the one to make this happen. “It 's what you can do that should count when you apply for a job, not where you learned to do it” (Murray 1). Not every family can afford to send their child to a four-year college to get a bachelors degree, while not every child wants to obtain a bachelors. What about the children who aren’t at the top of their academic class or can 't afford college, but would like a career? It 's not just the career focused classes you 're required to take, but there’s also
According to Leonhardt, many people who drop out usually plan to go back eventually to get their degrees, but very few actually do. According to “Access to Attainment”, approximately 65% of all job openings will require postsecondary education by the year 2020 and “many of the long-standing programs and policies designed to foster access no longer supports the needs of today’s students” (Miller, et al. 5). The availability of higher education to the public has greatly changed over time, and thus the system and the programs must adapt as well to continue providing the best access and opportunities possible to individuals. “….a college education matters much more now than it once did” (Leonhardt). Lower-class students coming from low-income high schools might not have the same opportunities for learning as their upper-class counterparts, and as a result they are less likely to be accepted to elite universities. The education system is beneficial for many but it is flawed as well, especially in preparing high schoolers for college, which has the potential to greatly impact their
“They don’t attend regularly and are so far behind that they have to drop out,” Joe Silsby, guidance counselor, said. “Sometimes, it’s lack of support and following through with things at school. No one forces them to be here.”
Having had to work the majority of my adult life, I have always worked at jobs that only paid slightly higher than minimum wage because I did not have a college degree. I would always feel a pang of regret whenever I read a help wanted ad for a job that I knew I could do, but knew I would not get hired for because I did not have that all important piece of paper. I have always toyed with the idea of going back to school, but could never get past the fear of failing. I must admit I was never a good student in high school and ...
Most people want a lot of job opportunities to choose from well in order to have those opportunities you have to have a diploma or GED. Other people might say that you can still get a good job even without a diploma or GED, most of the time those are low paying jobs at a fast food restaurant. The diploma can get you almost any job because most jobs require you to have a high school diploma or GED. Instead of always being passed by for the good jobs, you’ll have the opportunity to get jobs that are more interesting. Most people who just drop out of high school have a harder time
What exactly is a dropout? Although difficult to define, a dropout is considered a student who leaves school for any reason and does not continue on into any other type of schooling (United States Department of Education Consumer Guide [USDE], 1996).
... set the same as the mandatory age for dropping out of leaving school. This is a high risk for giving children the opportunity to leave their education to earn money which will not benefit them in the long run without a diploma. There are few that will state that the mandatory age of a high school dropout is good at sixteen. Main requirements taught in high school become unnecessary, especially lower skilled jobs so not all people who dropout will be unsuccessful. Therefore, society is creating an economic waste by providing a service that has very little benefit to the majority of people (Rodriguez par.2). The PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service, provided facts that show that not all GED recipients are less successful than high school graduates. In example, both comedians Bill Cosby and Dave Thomas both received a GED and became highly successful. (Schleicher 1).
Not being able to go to college is one reason why students’ shouldn’t drop out of high school. If you want a job that requires a bachelor or master’s degree you have to go to college to get. For example; if you wanted to be a Lawyer or school teacher or a business owner you would have to pass your GED test or make the choice to finish high school (“High School Dropouts”). If you still want go to college but you drop out you have to pass your GED test to go to college. If students’ would finish high school it would be a lot easier with a diploma than trying to get your GED to go to college, because if you finish high school with a diploma and don’t have to worry about taking any test to go to college. But if you don’t pass then you can’t do anything college related.
It has been known that young people who drop out of high school and do not earn a diploma come to face more problems later in life. Some struggles they may experience are unemployment, poor health, turn to drugs & alcohol, and live in poverty. High school students who dropped out before graduating are more likely to drink, smoke, use illegal drugs, committing crimes, and becoming teen parents. In the states of North Carolina alone it is known that approximately 53 teens become pregnant every day, North Carolina is said to have the 9th highest rate for teen pregnancy ...
Currently, relatively few urban poor students go past the ninth grade. The graduation rates in large comprehensive inner-city schools are abysmally low. In fourteen such New York City Schools, for example, only 10 percent to 20 percent of ninth graders in 1996 graduated four years later. Despite the fact that low-income individuals desperately need a college degree to find decent employment, only 7 percent obtain a bachelors degree by age twenty-six. So, in relation to ...
Between 3.5 million and 6 million young people in America dropout of high school (Bloom). About 1 million students do not make their way to graduation (Koenig). Dropping out of high school will inhibit any students ability to go onto college. Studies show that if a student were to drop out of high school, the crime rate will be higher(Kokemuller). According to professional statistics, in 2010, the percentage of high school dropouts was at a high of seven percent (Henry). At age sixteen, if a student were to drop out of high school, this student would need a parent to sign for them, and there are many parents who also believe children need an education. In 2006, about sixty-seven births to dropouts were outside marriage and this is compared to the ten percent of births to women who have received their master's degree and a high school diploma (Bloom). There are many consequences in store for high school dropouts.
If you chose to walk away from high school without a diploma, then expect it to be extremely hard to find a decent paying job. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “…approximately 54 percent of the nation’s young high school dropouts were unemployed in 2008.” One reason dropouts have a hard time finding a job is because the majority
Rumberger, R. W. (n.d.). Poverty and high school dropouts. http://www.apa.org. Retrieved February 20, 2014, from http://www.apa.org/pi/ses/resources/indicator/2013/05/poverty-dropouts.aspx
Regrettably, some students must drop out of school and use that time to get a job to help support their families. Female students who become pregnant have to drop out to take care of their child. Poor choices constrain some students to land themselves behind bars before their education becomes complete. Primary caretakers becoming ill and/or dying can force high schoolers to drop out and to take on the role of their family member, who has now become unable (“School Dropout”). These events can leave kids all over the country with two different options that have a few stunning similarities; receiving their GED, or dropping out of high school without a