Did you know?
• An estimated 1.1 million students drop out of American high schools each year. That means every 29 seconds, another student quits high school.
• Nearly one-third of all high school students fail to graduate with their class.
• Students in low income families drop out at six times the rate of students in high income families.
These numbers seem staggering. But until recently, this “silent epidemic” went unnoticed. Thanks to the National Dropout Prevention Center, this problem has gained nation attention. The Center’s mission is to help at-risk students receive the quality education and services they require to increase their chances of graduating from high school. The center has identified 15 core strategies that have had success in increasing graduation rates. Here are just a few of them.
• Alternative schools, such as online high schools and career schools, have been proven to help students graduate by empowering them to guide their own learning. For students who have dropped out of a traditional public high school, putting them back in the same schools, with the same teachers, and with the same instructional delivery will not work. Online high schools give students a fresh start and take some control over their future.
• Integrating educational technology has been proven to increase graduation rates by promoting greater student learning and interaction. Research shows that this technology increases student motivation and helps them succeed outside of the classroom.
• Career and technical education has been proven to reduce dropout rates by making high school more relevant to the students.
It is the hope and goal of the National Dropout Prevention Center to find a solution to this epidemic and make a real and measurable impact in students’ lives.
Contributing blogger: Stuart Udell, CEO of Penn Foster and Vice Chairman of the National Dropout Prevention Center