Drug Abuse

Question by kgamboa2: high school teachers/ school psychologists/ those who work with high school dropouts?
PLEASE ONLY RESPOND WITH SERIOUS ANSWERS!! Silly me shouldn’t have left this 10page paper due Monday for the last minute but I did! Please, those who work with high school dropouts, can you help me out?!
For those who regularly deal with high school dropouts, what do you think the scope of the problem is? What are its likely causes? What are some practical solutions? What are some current debates about high school dropouts?
It would be greatly appreciated to hear your input!!

Best answer:

Answer by Lynnie
High school dropouts……likely causes?
Teachers and other kids targeting and picking on one student…..a kid not understanding the material they’re supposed to be learning, not having enough help and giving up on an education. Getting pregnant ,being ridiculed, getting in with the wrong crowd, drinking or doing drugs,not caring anymore, being in the mindset that what they’re learning in school will be useless in real life, thinking they could be making money working instead of school.
Practical solutions……teaching them that what they’re learning will help them in real life, letting them know that math will help them balance a checkbook, or that it’ll help them make change working in a store, or that if they end up owning a business, they’ll know how to save themself from people managing their money for them….let them learn things in an interesting way…..ways that will keep their interest peaked. Teach teachers not to judge kids and tell them they’ll be flipping burgers. Teach the kids not to give one kid problems during their whole time in school.
I think it all melts down to the early years….the beginning years……we need teachers that enjoy teaching, that want to teach…that want more out of their careers than a summer off.

Answer by starryeyed_33
There are many reasons why students drop out of high school and, hopefully, you’ll focus on one reason for your paper so you may narrow your topic. High school drop out studies range in focus from racial issues to economic demographics. However, my own personal experience in dealing with high school drop outs that return to complete their education in an alternative setting is that most of the students become disatisfied with their learning experience due to low academic achievement.

Low academic achievement may be the result of poor attitudes of mainstream teachers toward students with special needs, unstable home environment, drug abuse, racism in the classroom, birth defects, tramatic brain injury, etc…The list goes on, but one thing is common to all of these students: they rapidly fall behind grade level. Without the proper funding and resources to reach a large number of at-risk students, schools are unable to capture the growing number of students from minority backgrounds who drop out. Even with proper funding it takes a few years to bring students up to functional levels of learning. They may not reach age-grade level compatibility, but students that fall behind and have a caring teacher, supportive school staff, and associate with positive role models can succeed in school once re-matriculated.

Re-introducing drop outs back into the school culture, environment, and routine is difficult, but possible with an individualized program geared toward the student’s current needs. Some schools have developed and implemented programs that slowly matriculate students back and focus on career/job development. Drop outs often need help with basic job finding and keeping skills in order to support their families in cases where poverty is an issue. Schools work around student schedules and provide night courses for student that work during the day. Individualized education plans (IEPs) are becoming more common for at-risk and drop out prevention students. These plans assist students in keeping track of their learning goals and to measure growth in academic areas.

Another solution that I am most familiar with is computer assisted instruction and/or computer based instruction. This is not a panacea for drop out prevention and at-risk education, but it has become a common practice among schools and has achieved positive results. Please note that if you include computer based instruction in your paper it may take you some time to research because studies on this practice are vast. Over 40 years of intensive studies by the military, RAND Corporation, and individual teachers concerning computer based education fills the internet and education libraries.

The literature on drop out prevention is large as well. There is one book that has influenced my teaching and guiding at-risk youth, “The Soul of Education: Helping students find connection, compassion, and character at school” by Rachael Kessler. This book introduces the idea of connecting young people to learning through stillness; meaning and purpose; joy; creativity; transcedence; and initiation. A very powerful book and I hope you are able to get your hands on this reading even after you’ve completed your paper. Basically, the author anecdotal examples from students experiences in a program for at-risk youth that re-introduces them not only to school but to themselves. Journaling, silent moments, hands-on activities, group discussions, cooperative learning, community building and bringing new members into the learning and human community is all part of the process of building people of good character.

Finally, if I were writing your paper and were in an introduction to education class again, then I would focus on race and racial attitudes in the classroom. Gosh, how I wish I had researched this issue before entering a classroom! I was fortunate to student African American History and Literature, but my teacher preparation course never prepared me for racial issues. Please believe me when I say that these issues do arise in the classroom, especially in inner-city schools. Racism does rear its ugly head in rural classrooms too. Race matters and racism in the classroom is still felt. It is a persistent problem in the U.S. and even with civil rights legislation it is impossible to change some of the biased racial attitudes of some students, parents, teachers and administrators. Solutions to racial problems and drop out rates include multicultural education/curriculum, meaningful group discussions, and community-building activities.

I hope this is helpful to your endeavor and try to get help earlier so that you can get more input. Asking for help on this Yahoo answers was a good idea!