Good Example Of Research Paper On Why Do Students Drop Out Of High School?

Although the rate of completion of school education has grown significantly during the past century, dropping out midway still continues to interfere with the efficiency of the educational system in addition to sealing the future possibilities of youngsters. One of the main reasons for increased rate of dropout during the recent years is attributed to the fact that students often need to face adverse environments in the school, which makes them miss classes and fare poorly in exams thereby warranting dismissal from schools. Secondly, lack of internal motivation drives students to take the ultimate decision of dropping out of schools. Also, many students end their school life abruptly due to lack of sufficient care and support when they do not fare well academically (Why students drop out). Thus, students, on getting exposed to adverse situations in personal life and school environment, in the absence of a mentoring guardian to continuously inspire them, take the ultimate decision of dropping out of high school.
Kareem Abdul Jabbar, famous former American basketball player, eminently said, “Those who drop out of high school are forfeiting their opportunity of pursuing the great American dream.” Jabbar was quite right since most of the dropout students at a later stage in life believe that they could have gone ahead with their education and succeeded in life. Sadly, the realization comes to them at a later stage when they face the reality in the job market that has no place for people who have not even passed high school education. Worldwide, and particularly in America, the rate of high school dropouts seems to be a silent epidemic which afflicts the human resource of the country. This epidemic in America drastically affects those who belong to the low income group, minority and children of single parent. Researchers have put the graduation rate in the United States around 68 percent, implying that around 35 percent of the students fail to graduate high school (Swanson). Time and again, studies have established that students who were closely monitored by their parents or guardians, regulating their actions and often helping them out with their challenges are least likely to discontinue their studies. The bond between the parents and school authorities needs to be strengthened if the parent’s involvement in their children’s progress is to work effectively. The role of both parents and teachers are equally crucial in ensuring a child’s bright future. As role models, both parents and teachers have to inspire and motivate students so that as future citizens, together with the rest of the countrymen, they can pursue the great dream of the nation.
Bob Keeshen, popular American actor and television producer once commented notably, “children never drop out of high school at 16; instead, they drop out at the first grade and wait for ten more years to make it just official.” Academic performance of a student is found to be a major factor in motivating him or her to get graduated from the school (Christopher). The road to one’s academic excellence and success starts very early in the present education system, and the eagerness of the school toward developing the children right before they reach the stage in which they start learning new things with little facilitation is very crucial in their growth. Children are taught to read up to third grade, and thereafter they are expected to read more on their own to learn and grow. The way they perceive the importance of reading at a very young age highly influences their learning skills and growth in future. Thus, if children are not cared and monitored while they still learn to read they are more likely to lose interest in learning. The seed for poor performance or failure is planted in a child at a very early school year. Many researchers suggest that students who perform well in middle school are least likely to drop out when they reach high school (Christopher). While in middle school, students are exposed to more knowledge about the society even as they themselves undergo many changes physically and mentally. Hence influencing them positively at this age helps a lot in inspiring and motivating them to excel academically. Another side of the same story is that when students transit from elementary school to middle school, they are required to part ways with familiar teachers and classmates, which may emotionally affect them. Extra care on the part of the teachers and school authorities during this crucial transit in the development of a child is important in directing him or her toward academic excellence in high school.
It has been reported that the annual dropping out rate in U. S. high schools is an alarming 1.3 million (Eleven facts about dropping out). Also, the possibility of getting employment for dropouts is very less. 90 percent of the dropouts are ineligible for most of the jobs in America. Education fulfills many long-term goals of students to become successful leaders or entrepreneurs in the future. Hence, they need to concentrate on getting good grades right from an early grade, which motivates them to scale great heights in the future. Parents and teachers have the joint responsibility of monitoring and developing the children. Making the students realize that they are being constantly cared at the school by the teachers and other authorities and at home by parents would give them a sense of security to quietly concentrate on their studies instead of going to the extreme step of dropping out of high school.

Works Cited

Christopher. "3 REASONS STUDENTS DROPOUT OF HIGH SCHOOL." United Way. 9 Mar. 2013. Web. 18 Apr. 2015. <http://www.uwaystan.org/blog-entry/09-03-2013/3-reasons-students-dropout-high-school>.
"Eleven Facts about Dropping out." Do Something Org. Web. 18 Apr. 2015. <https://www. dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-dropping-out>.
Swanson, Christopher B. "Who Graduates? Who Doesn't? A Statistical Portrait of Public High School Graduation, Class of 2001 Christopher B. Swanson." The Urban Institute, 25 Feb. 2004. Web. 17 Apr. 2015. <http://webarchive.urban.org/publications/410934.html>.
"Why Students Drop Out." National Dropout Prevention Center. 1 Jan. 2015. Web. 17 Apr. 2015. <http://www.dropoutprevention.org/statistics/quick-facts/why-students-drop-out>.