Critical Project 1

High School Dropout:
Why is This Still an Issue Among Minority Students?


The amount of students dropping out of high school everyday is increasing especially among minority students. Many of these students live in low-income urban communities across the United States. Research shows however, other factors are involve in the dropout rates from high school among minority students.
Under George W. Bush administration, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 2001, also known as the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act was established. This brought about a new level of accountability and higher levels of standards to be maintained among the American educational system and students. Students who do not pass the standardized exams are “left behind”. This is to ensure that a student isn’t pushed forward to the next grade level being incompetent of reading and other skills. “The test may be biased toward the culture mainstream white culture. Many non-English speakers and other minorities are failing standardized test in disproportionate numbers. It is a reality that high stakes standardized testing prevents some students from graduating because they did not pass the exit exam. The No Child Left behind had a downward spiraling effect on graduating rates”. (Walden, L, & Kritsonis, PhD, 2008)

The second factor in the high school drop out rates among minorities is the relationship between the teachers and minorities. At times these students can be label at risk youth. Davis, K., & Dupper, D. questions whether these students are drop out or push outs. Students who are labeled “trouble makers” are most suspended repeatedly for behavioral problems and most likely to drop out of school. They also believe that teachers underestimate the powerful impact that they have on students. This serves as a problem when a teacher believes that minority students cannot excel. When the expectations are high, the results are high, and when the expectations are low it becomes self-fulfilling prophecy. What can also be said is that minority students need to be able to identify with their teachers, however the majority of teachers across America is Caucasian. As urban high schools throughout the United States are becoming more racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse and the educators remain predominantly white, it is important to engage in self-examination and refection. Schools need to have a shift in thinking and see that not only the responsibility is to the students and parents, but shared amongst themselves as well. Educators need to reach out to students as early as possible. (Patterson, J., Hale, D., Stessman, M. 2007)
Still today the major cause of high drop out rates among minorities is poverty. People who live in poverty conditions are less likely to graduate from high school. (Gollnick & Chinn, 2008) The resources available in the low-income urban school districts are limited. Classes are crowed and parents can’t afford to pay for private tutoring. Many these students age out when they are repeatedly left behind. The only choice they have is to drop out of school or transfer into a GED program to complete their studies.




References


Davis, K., & Dupper, D. (2004, January). Student-Teacher Relationships: An Overlooked Factor in School Dropout. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 9 (1/2), 179-194.


Walden, L, & Kritsonis, PhD (2008). The Impact of the Correlation Between The No Child Left Behind Act’s High Stakes Testing and Dropout Rates of Minority Students. Doctoral Forum, National Journal for Publishing and mentoring Doctoral Student Research Volume 5 Number 1, 2008

Patterson, J., Hale, D., Stessman, M.. (2007). Cultural Contradictions and School Leaving: A Case Study of an Urban High School. The High School Journal, December 2007/January 2008, Pages 1-15.

Gollnick, D., and Chinn, P., (2008). Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society, Eighth Edition, and Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education.