Early Risk Factors for Dropping Out Show Need For Non-Academic Supports, Accountability in ESEA Reauthorization
WAMU yesterday continued its series "American Graduate," on the high school dropout crisis in this country, by examining the risk factors that appear early in a student's school career. Looking at one DC elementary school, the article discusses the early warning signs young students exhibit:
The third-graders at Turner [Elementary School] are at the age when many researchers believe you can predict whether a child will graduate high school. The main predictors are often shorthanded using the "ABCs" - attendance, behavior, and course performance.
"Those are alarm bells in the system that for years and years and years have gone ignored," says John Bridgeland, who heads the public policy firm Civic Enterprises and has done a significant amount of research on dropouts.
Of these, attendance can be the most difficult to address, as poor attendance stems from the myriad of stressors that students face outside of school - unemployed parents, public housing, homelessness, etc. Problems with attendance can lead to problems with behavior, which another early warning sign of dropping out. As students from low-income neighborhoods spend more and more time away from school, they can become more exposed to street life: drugs, robberies and violence. When students witness violence outside of school, they may become emotional, unable to concentrate or become aggressive and lash out.
The outbursts and other behavioral problems makes it difficult for teachers and students who get in trouble often wind up in the principal's office. Each trip to the principal means an average of 45 minutes out of class; if a student gets suspended, it's even longer. This sets up a cycle where students fall even further behind, leading right into the third warning sign of dropping out: doing poorly in course work.
Research shows that low-income families regularly experience economic and material hardship. Missed rent, utility shutoffs, inadequate access to health care, unstable child care arrangements, and food insecurity are common experiences that inevitably affect students’ readiness, attendance, performance, and completion rates at school. There is a clear and strong need for non-academic supports throughout our education system. A small federal investment targeted to support districts in providing health, mental health, violence prevention, drug and alcohol prevention, and other essential non-academic support services would go a long way toward helping students graduate prepared for success in college and the 21st century workforce.
Sadly, the GOP’s draft Elementary and Secondary Education Act reauthorization bills do little to support these services and ignore the very real problems at hand.
The proposals also lack a strong accountability system that would help target schools and students in need of additional support. As emphasized recently by a coalition of top civil rights organization, business groups including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, disability and education advocates , these bills "... abandon accountability for the achievement and learning gains of subgroups of disadvantaged students who for generations have been harmed by low academic expectations. Indeed, low-income students - those at greatest exposure to the risk factors described above - would be disproportionately affected by these Republican proposals.
The most important historical civil rights issue of our time is our nation’s education policy.There is still a lot of work to do to ensure that all kids – regardless of zip code or income – have access to a good, quality education. By not addressing the earliest warning signs that a student might drop out, we are doing a disservice not only to the nation's children, but to the country's overall strength and competitiveness. We must make guaranteeing all students access to a world-class education our top priority.
For additional information on ESEA reauthorization, including the Republican proposals, click here.