Copy of dropout rate in urban areas reasearh design

Economic Stability and Dropout Rates

Baroness Thompson Research Methods PSY302 Economic Stability and Dropouts July, 19 2008

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Abstract

Economic Hardship is prevalent across America. Urban areas struggle to find stability with work, family and future endeavors. Children dropout of school and never return. The dropout rate is alarming in rural and urban areas. Teachers and parents are overwhelmed with the violence that plagues their community. Poverty is the antecedent to ignorance among communities. Communities have to embrace all adolescents. Single parents strive to raise families. A community can shape a Childs future. When the home setting is flagrant children become confused. Life and the community hurt and fail a Childs future. These tragic perdictmenets are devastating. Drugs, gangs and violence become an adolescents alternative for survival. Crime increases and children become the antecedent to the surge in crime. Young children dropout of school and become parents. Many of these children only return to drop-off there own children. Economic instability is prevalent in America. Children suffer because of the hardship they endure.This hard ship is prevelant in areas dealing socio economic issues. Many young children succumb to crime, violence and drugs. Their home setting is dangerous and their community is worse. There is no room for advancement. Their community has been plagued with unwanted behavior. Schools are dangerous in many urban areas. Gangs are widespread in schools and the community. Children living in these conditions are confused and traumatized on a daily bases. Many psychologist and others have tried to find out why our youth are dropping out of school. .This research paper will review various articles and journals about the dropout rate in areas dealing with poverty, crime, gangs and drugs. It is very Devastating and a prevalent topic in the 21st century. Children have to go to school in order to become successful adults. Teachers become enforcers and parents and children are not responding in urban school settings. Dropout rates in urban areas have become an urban calamity.

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Economic Stability And Dropout Rates

Children living in harsh conditions are forced to take drastic measures. They

believe there is only one way to survive. They drop out of school and become

delinquents. Many children are dealing with appalling situations in their home

environment. Some children stay in school with little to know support from home

environment. Urban communities are forced to deal with flagrant adults. Many adults that

have dropped out of school and have children of their own. Adolescents turn to their

community to raise them. These adolescents receive what their community has to offer.

An alarming number of these students, however, achieve at significantly lower levels

than their white counterparts and leave school--either through dropping out early or at

graduation--lacking the skills and knowledge required by employers, colleges, and trade

schools (Walker, White’s 1988).

Urban minority children also tend to be among America's poorest citizens. Of the

many statistics that could be cited, a few from Reed and Sautter's 1990 report on children

and poverty should make clear the economic disadvantages experienced by these

children(Walker, White's 1988).

More than 12.6 million U.S. young people--nearly 20 percent of all children under

the age of 18 are poor. Two thirds of poor Americans are white, but the rate of poverty is

considerably higher for minorities. Four out of nine black children are poor. Three out of

eight Hispanic children are poor. More than 56 percent of families headed by single black

women are poor. The poverty rate for families headed by single Hispanic women is 59.

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percent (Corcoran, Walker, White's 1988). Their reports indicating that 71 percent of all

black students and over 50 percent of all Hispanic students attend schools in inner-city

settings (Corcoran, Walker, White’s 1988).

Parent involvement. Research demonstrates that parent involvement in

instruction, in support of classroom and extracurricular activities, and in school

governance is related to positive student learning outcomes and attitudes. Research also

shows that such involvement is especially beneficial for many minority children, who

may otherwise feel torn between the differing norms and values represented by the home

and the school. Urban problems--in education or other areas--are outside the scope of this

report. For present purposes, it is sufficient to note that schooling practices have largely

failed to meet the learning needs of urban minority young people and that reversing this

pattern is critically important--for these students themselves, of course, but also for the

social and economic health of the nation (Corcoran, Walker, and White's 1988)(Kathleen

Cotton 1988). I also used. School Improvement Research Series (SIRS) Research You

Can Use.

Fortunately, a great deal is known about the kinds of schooling practices which

are effective for educating these "at-risk" students. Educational research and evaluation

efforts have identified many practices which lead to positive academic and affective

outcomes for these young people, and these are cited following a context-setting

discussion of the effective schooling research. (1988 Kathleen Cotton)

Methods

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My research was conducted by using various key words. Dropout rates in urban

and rural areas were my basic phrases. There were various cites with adequate

information. These cite provided basic statistics on the drop out rates in urban areas. I

was alarmed on the statistics after review. Minorities dropping out of school have become

a prevalent epidemic. Minorities are faced with alarming circumstances. I used,

APA.Com and PSYC Info cites. Also Corcoran, Walker, and White's 1988 Topical

Synthesis #4 Educating Urban Minority Youth: Research on Effective Practices by

Kathleen Cotton. This cites was also used, School Improvement Research Series (SIRS)

Research You Can Use. The findings reported in this summary are based on a review of

96 resources, 61 of which are research documents demonstrating relationships between

educational practices and student outcomes. The other 35 are more general references,

addressing such topics as desegregation planning, anti-racism education, program

content, minority teachers, and the over- or under representation of minority students in

different school programs and other categories (Walker, and White's 1988).

Of the 61 research documents, 27 are reports of studies or evaluations, 33 are

reviews, and one is a metaanalysis of findings from several studies. All are concerned

with students at risk of school failure, and most of these are inner-city black or Hispanic

students (and sometimes other minority populations as well) from low-income families.

Schooling practices investigated in the research include tracking and long-term ability

grouping, tutoring, multicultural programming, parent involvement, different

administrative styles, retention, cooperative learning, bilingual education, anti-racism

education, early childhood programming, presence or absence of minority school

personnel, and an array of climate and instructional variables (Cotton 1988).

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Outcomes areas measured include achievement in general and in particular

subject areas, student attitudes, student self-concept, dropout rates, student motivation,

race relations, disciplinary infractions, employability, IQ scores, grades, English language

proficiency, incidence of special and remedial education referrals, absenteeism,

detentions, and home school relations. (Walker, and White's 1988).

Many children are traumatized by, their environment. Children in urban areas

don’t have adequate health care. Children that have to live in destructive, malign

environments need counseling. They are children in an urban war that have undiagnosed

PTSD.

Deprivations of Poverty

When the deprivations of poverty, the easy availability of firearms and drugs on

our streets, the anonymity of mass society, and the so-called toxic effects of popular

culture are taken into account, the "War for Boys"--as some have termed it--may be seen

more accurately as one front in a larger "War for Children" that parents, professionals,

and concerned policymakers and citizens are called upon to wage each and every day. All

children deserve to be treated as individuals, not labels. All children are entitled to grow

up in secure, protected, and nurturing surroundings. Our challenge as professionals and

caring adults is to prevent episodes of violence and suicide, to reduce school drop-out

rates, misdiagnosis, and over reliance on psychotropic medications, and to eliminate

entirely discrimination among all children irrespective of social class, ethnicity, race,

national origin, sexual orientation, or gender. Increasingly, teachers and school

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professionals, and even psychologists, are looking to their unions for advocacy on behalf

of students (Falconnier (2008 Jan).

Discussion

This part of the research reviews various aspects of a student’s successes in their

school setting. This inclusion is focused on how parents can get involved in their

Childs education. Children depend on their school to help them in life. School is

an important aspect of his or her life. No child left behind has left many children

behind. Adolescents receive the required units most of the time. Although, the

exit exam keeps adolescents behind. Children have given up because of this

dilemma. After researching this dilemma, I believe there is no room for

advancement. In regards to the exit exam. If a child has been pushed through

school because of behavior, he or she hasn’t received the adequate skills to past

the exam. Special education students, have to pass the exam as well. The exit

exam doesn’t exclude children that are developmentally delayed. These children

won’t reach any mile stones beside basic secondary skills. Nevertheless they are

required to take this test. A Childs report card motivates them. They look at their

achievement and it motivates them to do better. Schools are the antecedent to each

child development. Mentally, emotionally and continually Parents play the

biggest part in a Childs achievement, with help from their Childs school.

Student Performance/No Child left Behind

How are school report cards put together and what kind of information do they

provide?

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Reports on individual schools are part of the annual district report cards, also known as

local report cards. Each school district must prepare and disseminate annual local report

cards that include information on how students in the district and in each school

performed on state assessments. The report cards must state student performance in terms

of three levels: basic, proficient and advanced. Achievement data must be disaggregated,

or broken out, by student subgroups according to: race, ethnicity, gender, English

language proficiency, migrant status, disability status and low-income status. The report

cards must also tell which schools have been identified as needing improvement

(http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/reports/dropout/ftf/info.asp).

How can parents see these local report cards, which include school-by-school data?

States must ensure that the local districts make these local report cards available

to the parents of students promptly and by no later than the beginning of the school year.

The law requires that the information be presented in an "understandable and uniform

format, and to the extent practicable, in a language that the parents can understand."

States and districts may also distribute this information to the media for publicizing; post

it on the Internet; or provide it to other public agencies for dissemination


Local school districts must notify parents if their child's school has been

identified as needing improvement, corrective action or restructuring. In this event,

districts must let parents know the options available to them. Also, districts must annually

notify parents of students in Title I schools of their "right to know" about teacher

qualifications and how to exercise it.

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What information is provided on state report cards?

Each state must produce and disseminate annual report cards that provide information on

student achievement in the state--both overall and broken out according to the same

subgroups as those appearing on the district report cards listed above. State report cards

include:

State assessment results by performance level (basic, proficient and advanced),

including (1) two-year trend data for each subject and grade tested; and (2) a comparison

between annual objectives and actual performance for each student group.

Percentage of each group of students not tested. Graduation rates for secondary school

students and any other student achievement indicators that the state chooses. Performance

of school districts on adequate yearly progress measures, including the number and

names of schools identified as needing improvement.


Professional qualifications of teachers in the state, including the percentage of

teachers in the classroom with only emergency or provisional credentials and the

percentage of classes in the state that are not taught by highly qualified teachers,

including a comparison between high- and low-income schools.

What is "adequate yearly progress"? How does measuring it help to improve schools?

No Child Left Behind requires each state to define adequate yearly progress for school

districts and schools, within the parameters set by Title I. In defining adequate yearly

progress, each state sets the minimum levels of improvement--measurable in terms of

student performance--that school districts and schools must achieve within time frames

specified in the law. In general, it works like this: Each state begins by setting a "starting

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point" that is based on the performance of its lowest-achieving demographic group or of

the lowest-achieving schools in the state, whichever is higher. The state then sets the

bar--or level of student achievement--that a school must attain after two years in order to

continue to show adequate yearly progress. Subsequent thresholds must be raised at least

once every three years, until, at the end of 12 years, all students in the state are achieving

at the proficient level on state assessments in reading/language arts and math


What if a school does not improve?

States and local school districts will aid schools that receive Title I funds in making

meaningful changes that will improve their performance. In the meantime, districts will

offer parents options for children in low-performing schools, including extra help to

children from low-income families (see section on Choice and Supplemental Educational

Services).

The No Child Left behind Act lays out an action plan and timetable for steps to be taken

when a Title I school fails to improve, as follows:

A Title I school that has not made adequate yearly progress, as defined by the state, for

two consecutive school years will be identified by the district before the beginning of the

next school year as needing improvement. School officials will develop a two-year plan

to turn around the school. The local education agency will ensure that the school receives

needed technical assistance as it develops and implements its improvement plan. Students

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must be offered the option of transferring to another public school in the district--which

may include a public charter school--that has not been identified as needing school

improvement (http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/reports/dropout/ftf/info.asp).

If the school does not make adequate yearly progress for three years, the school remains

in school-improvement status, and the district must continue to offer public school choice

to all students. In addition, students from low-income families are eligible to receive

supplemental educational services, such as tutoring or remedial classes, from a state-

approved provider. (http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/reports/dropout/ftf/info.asp).

If the school fails to make adequate progress for four years, the district must

implement certain corrective actions to improve the school, such as replacing certain staff

or fully implementing a new curriculum, while continuing to offer public school choice

and supplemental educational services for low-income students. If a school fails to make

adequate yearly progress for a fifth year, the school district must initiate plans for

restructuring the school. This may include reopening the school as a charter school,

replacing all or most of the school staff or turning over school operations either to the

state or to a private company with a demonstrated record of effectiveness


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In addition, the law requires states to identify for improvement those local

education agencies that fail to make adequate yearly progress for two consecutive years

or longer and to institute corrective actions.

How teachers or schools that do well are rewarded?

No Child Left Behind requires states to provide state academic achievement awards to

schools that close achievement gaps between groups of students or that exceed academic

achievement goals. States may also use Title I funds to financially reward teachers in

schools that receive academic achievement awards. In addition, states must designate as

distinguished schools those that have made the greatest gains in closing the achievement

gap. (http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/reports/dropout/ftf/info.asp.

What can parents do to help their child's school succeed and meet the accountability

requirements? How does the law help parents become involved?

No Child Left Behind supports parent involvement because research overwhelmingly

demonstrates the positive effect that parent involvement has on their children's academic

achievement (Clark 1983; Comer 1980, 1988; Eccles, Arbreton, et al., 1993; Eccles-

Parsons, Adler and Kaczala 1982; Epstein 1983, 1984; Marjoribanks 1979 as cited in

Eccles and Harold 1996). In the event a school is identified as needing improvement,

corrective action or restructuring, the law requires the local education agency to notify

parents accordingly and to explain to them how they can become involved in school-

improvement efforts. In any event, the law requires the same agency to provide parents

with local report cards, which include data on each individual school in the district, as

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described earlier. Thus, parents have up-to-date information about their child's school,

which they can use in whatever manner they choose to be involved. Parents may help

their child's school in a number of ways, including: Attending parent-teacher meetings or

special meetings to address academic problems at the school; volunteering to serve as

needed; encouraging other parents to become involved; and learning about the school's

special challenges, community resources and the No Child Left behind Act. In addition,

parents should take advantage of the increased flexibility given local decision-makers by

No Child Left Behind and talk with their school board members, principals and other

state and local education leaders about which programs they think will help their students

the most (http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/reports/dropout/ftf/info.asp).

In addition, the law has other specific requirements on parent involvement that include

the following:

Each state education agency must support the collection and dissemination of information

on effective parent involvement practices to local education agencies and schools.

The law in Title I spells out specific measures that local education agencies and schools

receiving Title I funds must take to ensure parent involvement in significant areas,

including: overall planning at the district and school levels; written policies on parent

involvement at both levels; annual meetings; training; coordinating parent involvement

strategies among federal education programs (i.e., Title I, Head Start and Reading First);

and evaluating those strategies and revising them if needed.

Schools that have school wide programs must involve parents in developing plans for

such programs--that is, programs designed to raise the achievement of low-achieving

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students in high-poverty Title I schools by improving instruction throughout the entire

school (http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/reports/dropout/ftf/info.asp).

Conclusion

Children living in urban areas are faced with many issues. The exit exam is

mandatory in all schools. PTSD is prevalent in children living in crime rattled

environments. Each adult in a community is accountable for their behavior. Children look

at adults to definition in their own characters. It is important took look at each child

individually. Children dropout of school for various reasons. School should be a safe

productive environment for all children. Urban areas are faced with many different

circumstances that force children out. There are answers in this ongoing dilemma. Each

school has to be accountable for each child. Adolescents need their children in their

school environment. Children have to want to succeed, and role models help them

achieve their endeavors.

Reference page

Falconnier, Lydia; Elkin, Irene (2008 Jan)Addressing economic stress in the treatment of depression. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry: 2008 Jan Vol 78(1) 37-46.

Feldman, SandraThe War for Children (2005 Dec) Professional Psychology: Research and Practice. 2005 Dec Vol 36(6) 615-617 APA.Com.

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Corcoran, Walker, and White's 91988) Topical Synthesis #4 Educating Urban Minority Youth: Research on Effective Practices by Kathleen Cotton: School Improvement Research Series (SIRS).

U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings Announces No Child Left Behind "Differentiated Accountability" PilotProgram Will Invite up To Ten States to Create More Nuanced Ways of Evaluating Underperforming Schools (http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/reports/dropout/ftf/info.asp)

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