School Dropouts: The Silent Epidemic Video

Here's my video :)

Reflection On This Project

Overall, I found this project pretty awesome. It gave us all a chance to show a different side of ourselves, as cheesy as that sounds. We could be creative and knowledgeable all at the same time.

I don't really know what could be a negative for this project. I guess if I had to choose something, I'd pick our topics. It would have been nice to our presentations and blogs on something other than social issues. I would have wanted to pick something that interested me on a different level, not just socially.

By commenting on other blogs, I found that I was able to really understand their topics. I had to actually read their posts. I thought the whole online aspect of this project to be cool because we don't really get many chances to use technology for a grade.

While making the video, I had to look back and reread my information. I learned more that way because by looking at the material again and again, I absorbed it more. I also liked using Windows Movie Maker. It's fun for me to channel that creative side that I can't really access too often.

In five years, I'll remember being able to not procrastinate. I've done so well on not waiting until the last minute on this project, which will definitely help me in AP Lit. I'll also remember being able to incorporate my personal taste in my video with my song choices and pictures.

Some advice I'd give is have fun with the project. If you enjoy doing it, you'll learn more. Just be really creative on how you make your video and blog. It's a lot more enjoyable if you try to make it that way. Some people absolutely hate making videos and stuff, but for those who do, this was a chance to show that.

The only suggestion I'd give you on giving this assignment would be what my critisism was: let the students pick a topic. That way, they're able to choose what they want, and they'll not only feel better about doing the work, but they'll want to do it.

I had a blast doing this project, so kudos to you, Ms. Murrell :)

School Dropouts: The Silent Epidemic

Throughout history, there have been multiple accounts of students dropping out of school to pursue personal goals, help with family problems, etc. However, the rates of these dropouts have dramatically decreased over the years despite the sudden interest in the matter. In the early 1960’s, the percentage of 16 to 24 year-old dropouts was triple the amount of dropouts in 2006 (High School Dropout Rates by Sex). Although those numbers seem low, the rates are still not good. More than half of the students who drop out don’t make it past the tenth grade (Schwartz).
What everyone really wants to know is simple: why? Why do students drop out? What factors play into their decisions? The economy is at stake when students decide to drop out, so that has many searching for solutions. What can be done to stop the rates from increasing? How can we stop the “silent epidemic”?
For starters, we need to be educated on the topic. We need to know why students are dropping out and thinking that’s their only option. The statistics show that 47% of students who dropped out thought the classes weren’t interesting (Pytel). Two-thirds of those same pupils claimed they would have worked harder in school if they thought more was expected of them (Pytel). Some reasons, like unplanned pregnancies and family problems, can’t be fixed as easily or at all. We can, on the other hand, make classes interesting for the kids. We can give them opportunities to do well and succeed by providing them with classes they want to take that are still relevant to their goals. If a student wants to be a car mechanic, mechanical classes should be offered to maintain that student’s curiosity in learning. Teachers can try to make their lessons more hands-on and less strict bookwork. If 69% of dropouts say they weren’t motivated to work, that shows that we’re obviously doing something wrong (Pytel).
In conclusion, much can be done to help cease dropout rates. The kids need help becoming motivated in schools. With the economy at risk because of uneducated workers, everyone should be aware of what is going on and try to solve the problem. Potential workers not only need diplomas, but they need the drive to want to work harder and gain more knowledge (Report Finds Fewer Jobs). If people don’t have that drive in high school, what can we expect them to want to accomplish in the real world?

 

Works Cited
"High School Dropout Rates by Sex." Infoplease. 2009. Web. 24 May 2010. .
Pytel, Barbara. "Dropouts Give Reasons: Why Do Students Leave High School without a Diploma?" Educational Issues. 2006. Web. 25 May 2010. .
"Report Finds Fewer Jobs for High School Dropouts - NYTimes.com." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. 18 Dec. 1988. Web. 25 May 2010. .
Schwartz, Wendy. "New Information on Youth Who Drop Out." KidSource OnLine Welcome Page. 20 Apr. 2000. Web. 24 May 2010. .

"New Information on Youth Who Drop Out: Why They Leave and What Happens to Them" by Wendy Schwartz

- Students in large cities are twice as likely to leave school before graduating than non-urban youth.
- More than half the students who drop out leave by the tenth grade.
- 20% of students quit by the eighth grade.
- 3% of students drop out by the fourth grade.
- Dropouts make up nearly half the prison population.
- Men who got a GED earned 21% more than male dropouts.
- Women GED holders earned 18% more than female dropouts.
- 12% of dropouts ran away from home.
- Almost 20% of dropouts were held back a grade, and almost half failed a course.
- Parents and teachers should help potential dropouts find a GED program and encourage them to stay with it until they get an alternative high school diploma.

"Report Finds Fewer Jobs for High School Dropouts"

- Rudimentary jobs are being made obsolete by technology.
- The higher the role technology plays in jobs, the less likely a high school dropout will get a job.
- New York lost 62,000 blue-collar jobs, which amounts to one of every seven jobs in 1979.
- High school dropouts fill 31 percent of the blue-collar jobs.
- New York's dropout rate is 36.2%.
- The percentage of dropouts that have information-based jobs is 9%.
- The number of potential young workers is decreasing.
- The number of 20-year-olds will decline by 20 percent nationwide in the next 12 years.
- New York City's economy in the year 2000 will not be able to afford the dropout rate it has sustained so far because of the declining number of young people.
- Potential workers have to not only have a diploma, but they must be willing to work and learn futher.

"Dropouts Give Reasons" by Barbara Pytel

- Only 6 out of 10 Delaware students graduate each year.
- Two-thirds of students who dropped out said they would have tried harder if more was expected of them.
- 47% of dropouts said classes were not interesting.
- 43% of dropouts missed too many days to catch up.
- 45% of dropouts entered high school poorly prepared by their earlier schooling.
- 69% of dropouts said they were not motivated to work hard.
- 35% of dropouts said they were failing.
- 32% of dropouts said they left to get a job.
- 25% of dropouts left to become parents.
- 22% of dropouts left to take care of a relative.

"11 Facts about Dropping Out"

- 1.2 million students drop out every year in the U.S.
- Nearly 2000 schools in the U.S. have 40% of students who don't graduate.
- One in four Hispanics drop out and half leave by the 8th grade.
- White and Asian Americans are least likely to drop out.
- Hispanics are twice as likely to drop out as African Americans.
- Dropouts will make $200,000 less than high school graduates.
- More than half of the people on welfare are high school dropouts.
- In the U.S., 65% of criminals are dropouts.
- The dropout rate is said to significantly increase by 2020 if things aren't changed.
- America ranks as the 19th in the world for graduation rates when we used to be number 1.

"Obama Aims to Reduce School Dropouts"

- Obama is planning on giving $900 million to states who will drastically change their schools.
- That $900 million is in addition to the $3.5 billion used to help low-performing schools that was in last year's economic stimulus bill.
- About only 70% of freshmen end up graduating high school.
- Obama plans to help 5000 schools in the next 5 years.
- Among the highest dropout rates are Blacks and Latinos.
- Obama is using four techniques, the first called the "Turnaround Model" that will replace the school's principal, staff, and receive a new instructional program.
- The second method is called the "Restart Model", and it would act as a charter school.
- The third method is called "School Closure", and it would close the school and enroll the students somewhere else.
- The last method is called the "Transformation Model", and it must address teacher effectiveness, instruction, learning and teacher planning time, and operational flexibility.
- The administration is also putting $50 million towards school dropout prevention that includes support to keep the kids interested.

Multigenre Research Design

1. What is your topic?
My topic is school dropout rates and the reasons/consequences of that. I'm going to focus mainly on why teenage students decide to drop out and what we can do to help solve this problem. I think that if we all were to communicate with the kids, we'd be able to effectively help them. I plan to delve deeper into the subject by finding first-hand stories of kids' lives and the results of their choices. By figuring out what made the kids drop out, we can make changes to prevent the rates from increasing.
2. Describe what you know about the topic.
I know about some of the reasons people drop out of school. I've heard about stories where family members die, and they have to help take care of the family. I've also heard about how students found school boring and irrelevant, so they dropped out. I know that school can be tedious at times, but dropping out isn't the answer. School drop-out rates continue to grow because it's a topic most don't pay attention to or try to fix.
3. Tell what you want to learn about.
I want to learn about the real reasons people drop out. I want to know about real-life situations where people though dropping out was the only solution. Without knowing these stories, we can never truly know how to solve the situation. I also want to see how these peoples' lives have changed since dropping out. I want to see how their lives have been affected and see how/if the quality of their lives differ from the average high school graduate.
I want to find out some statistics as well. It'd be interesting to see the gradual increase of drop-out rates. I want to learn about how drop-outs have affected society economically. I have a feeling a certain group of people are stereotyped as drop-outs, and I want to show everyone how that assumption is wrong. I also want to see the public views on drop-outs and how those views have changed over time.
4. Describe the origins of your research. What sparked your interest in the topic? Why do you want to know more about it?
I started researching about school drop-outs while I was looking for pictures for my header. I found some interesting statistics as well as discussion topics. The topic sparked my interest by being relevant. Dropping out of school has been around for ages, but it still applies to today's society. I have felt like giving up at points, and I'd like to learn about what would have possibly happened if I'd went the whole way.
I personally want to know more about it to help fix it. It's become a major problem in schools, not just locally, but nationally. I want to study what's wrong with schools and what we can do to find a remedy. A person's education is one of the most important aspects of their lives. Without it, no matter what the reason, you can't be as successful in professional careers.
5. Why do people drop out? What are some major reasons for dropping out? What effect does dropping out have on society? What are career options for a dropout? What can be done to lower the drop-out rate?
6. Describe your plan for collecting information about your topic.
I plan on finding government websites that give statistics on school drop-out rates. I also plan on finding credible sources about real-life stories. I could find some books that discuss the topic as well. I want to read articles, whether they're in newspapers or online, and find out what society thinks of dropouts. I also want to find pictures, cartoons, or other media pertaining to the subject too.
7. Provide a preliminary bibliography.
"Archived: High School Dropout Rates." U.S. Department of Education. Web. 17 May 2010. .
Coster, By Helen. "Millionaire High School Dropouts - ABC News." ABCNews.com - Breaking News, Politics, Online News, World News, Feature Stories, Celebrity Interviews and More - ABC News. Web. 17 May 2010. .
"Dropout Prevention." Solutions for America. Web. 17 May 2010. .
"Focus Adolescent Services: Youth Who Drop Out." Focus Adolescent Services: Help Your Teen and Heal Your Family. Web. 17 May 2010. .
Zeleny, Jeff. "Obama Takes Aim at School Dropout Rates - The Caucus Blog - NYTimes.com." Politics and Government - The Caucus Blog - NYTimes.com. Web. 17 May 2010. .

Reasons For Topic

I decided to choose the topic of school drop-outs because it's something relevant to our lives. We see and hear about students dropping out of school, for personal reasons, family problems, etc. I feel that if people attempt to help the kids who have considered and/or chosen dropping out as their resolution, the rates would surely decline. I want to learn more about this topic and educate people on how we can help stop it. I also chose this topic because it seems interesting, and I think I'll enjoy learning about it.