Dear Editor:
After World War II according to dosomething.org the United States was ranked number one in world for having the highest number of high school graduates. After that the number of graduates kept dropping and the United States fell behind and was ranked 22 out of 27 industrialized countries in 2012. Where are all these dropouts going? Who are all those students who are in jail?
According to New York Times, 80 percent of people in the U.S. jail system are high school dropouts and each year about 1.3 million students drop out of school for many various reasons. It is thought the top reason for the high numbers of dropouts is because of reading levels. When students are in 4th grade they are four times more likely to drop out as a high schooler if they are behind with their reading skills. These students feel behind and helpless and see no other opportunity to catch up with their classmates; instead feel it is easier to leave.
People have all different learning styles and some students just have to find their own way. Students struggling with school is a common, but dropping out because classes are too heard is not the answer. Dropping out now because of struggling in class means life will only get harder as you get older and be more of a struggle. According to education-law.lawyers.com students who graduate and get a diploma earn on average about earn about $9,000 more a year than a dropout and that 90 percent of jobs in the U.S. require at least a high school diploma. So if working at a McDonalds sounds like a good deal, feel free to drop now. If $9,000 to spend a year sounds better, it is important to stay in school and graduate.
Suntimes.com also said in an article on dropouts that 46 percent of high school drop outs do not own a home; however, 61percent of people who at least graduated form high school and got their diploma own a home.
Some students, however, cannot stay in school. Their families need help with things so students sometime need to drop out to go to work or their families do not support them enough is school and can not learn things properly. According to naspcenter.org boys are more likely to drop out to seek employment while girls will more likely drop out if they become pregnant. But should students be allowed to drop out of school because of family issues? According to Colorado Department of Education the top reason for high school students in the United States to drop out of school if because of something that happened outside of school such as, teen pregnancy and working to support their families.
Although some may feel that dropout rates in the Neenah Joint School District are that big of a deal they have been steadily rising. According to the Wisconsin School District Performance Report in the 2007-2008 school year 25 students dropped out of school. That number of dropouts has been steadily rising over the past four years. Last lear in the 2012-2013 school year 46 students dropped out.
How can these numbers be helped? According to dropoutprevention.org many things to prevent dropouts by both students and teachers. First is active learning. It can encourage students to be more active their learning and find new and creative ways to solve problems. Another thing that the site said to try is engage the family. Many students drop out because of family problems and having the family be a part of a students life can greatly affect their outcome in school.
It is important to try and stop that number from rising. If someone is struggling with school try to help and support them. Try to push through to graduation. If it is ever hard and feels impossible, remember that dropping out is the answer, and try remember that $9,000 that are going to be lost every year.
Sincerely
Alivia Coon, sophomore
