Prevention against African American Male Drop outs in high school - Research Paper Example

Prevention against African American Male Drop outs in high school A convention by the UN with respect to children rights puts into consideration that every child has the right to education so as to develop their personality, talents as well as their physical and mental abilities to their maximum potential. According to researches on the matter, an estimated one million American high school students drop out of school every year, an unequal number of whom are the African Americans. Children are very significant in a country as they are a country’s future workers, leaders and citizens. Education therefore remains an important tool by which many persons become empowered and the social, economic and private well-being of the people in a particular country increases. A high rate of drop-outs in a country decreases the number of qualified citizens from varied backgrounds who eventually enter the political and professional ranks that make significant public policy decisions. Educating students and equipping them to become responsible, knowledgeable, socially skilled and contributing citizens should be a mission for every school. The fact that very many students never complete their high school studies has a deep and a broad impact on the long term economic goals of U.S. The education department in U.S, the NCES (National center for education statistics) states that the central income of people of ages eighteen to sixty seven who had not finished high school was estimated around twenty five thousand in 2009. Currently, a significant section of the same population is believed to remain in poverty while a global scale of competitiveness of the American struggle lags behind (Barnes, 1992). A certain percentage of the number of students enrolled in private or public high schools in a particular year demonstrate this. For example, four percent of the total number of students enrolled in high school both in public and private school in the year 2008 left school before their second year was completed. An equivalent number of students drop out of school before the completion of their high school course. Broken down by race, some rates of the estimated event drop outs were recorded as three percent for whites and seven percent for African Americans while four percent was recorded for Latinos in the year 2008. There was not a significant difference on the year 2009 event for the rates of drop outs for both females and males. With respect to age, twenty to twenty four years aged students are more affected than the fifteen to seventeen aged students. A big question lies on the event of school drop outs with respect to why a greater percentage is made for the African American students. Although dropping out from school has been a disaster which strikes many students indiscriminatevely, the African American students are found to be greatly absorbed in the ruin. This poses a question which seeks to find out WHY or to determine the reasons behind this issue of school drop outs. This document is meant to determine the problems associated with school drop outs with respect to the African American boy child. The African American boys are greatly affected with this event since they are found to be the most affected with dropping out of school. According to researches, there are some associated reasons behind the problem of dropping out from school in America. This has been determined by carrying out many researches relevant to the problem. The research has been conducted through the use of certain qualitative and quantitative research methods. On the quantitative analysis, the paper describes the expected number of school drop outs in America. This includes carrying out an estimated or actual numbers of the school dropouts with respect to the race, color and age. As it has been depicted earlier, there are some varied percentages of the students who drop out of school in America. This has been analyzed with accordance to race and age. Broken down by race, the rates of the estimated event drop outs were recorded as three percent for whites, four percent for Latinos and seven percent for African Americans in the year 2008. The same data was found applicable in the 2009 analysis. There was not a significant difference on the year 2009 event for the rates of drop outs for both females and males. With respect to age, twenty to twenty four years aged students are more affected than the fifteen to seventeen aged students. Fifteen students in every group of twenty high school drop outs were found to be boys (Geyer, 2007).  “Dropout factories” is a term that is coined to refer to schools that graduate up to sixty percent only of their total number of the enrolled students. Such schools are found to produce fifty percent of the country’s dropouts and close to seventy five percent ethnic minority dropouts. The dropout factories are found mainly in fifteen states majorly in south, north and west of the U.S. In the qualitative methodology of the research, it is found out that there exists a strong link between high school dropout rates and poverty. It is found that students from low-income families highly drop out from school compared to students from high-income families. Ten students on a group of fifteen high school dropouts are from a poor family. A common characteristic of the dropout factories is that they are located in the poverty-stricken areas which are associated with high crime rates, High rates of unemployment and ill health. The available conditions for the school going children do not therefore favor their school activities. Families from these areas do not therefore provide for the total needs of the students. Due to lack of adequate resources which cater for the school activity, students drop out of school. Boys are less fortunate due to the availability of mere man-power jobs. Boys prefer to drop out from school and work on the forms so as to raise some money for the survival of their families. In addition to these, student’s bodies from some American high schools are formed with excessively of whites. The formation of such organizations within the school is very significant in the provision of personal motivation for the students. The formation of such students’ bodies in school with excess of white students than African Americans result to the problem of African American students dropping out from school. There is no particular prominent risk factor that explains the issue at hand. Rather, there are many risk factors that work together in explaining some reasons why youths drop out from school. These factors are grouped into four categories which relate to individuals, families, schools and communities. On the individual’s category, issues like truancy and poor school attitude for students lead to students dropping out from schools. The family category describes that factors like the low-income and lack of parental involvement also lead to students dropping out from school. Low expectation and a negative or bad school climate may as well lead to students dropping out from school according to the category of school. This problem is highly experienced in areas of high crimes and in a place of lack of society support for schools. These research reviews a journal by “the Center for Mental Health in Schools” (UCLA) edited in 2007. According to their findings, school dropout rates predominantly correlate with poor school attendance, high poverty rates, poor academic performance, school disengagement and grade retention or being held back. Moreover, close to half of the country’s African American students go to high schools in areas of low-income whereby the dropout rates range from forty to fifty percent. The research methods used in the provision of this report portrays much relevance in determining the associated problem with school dropouts in America. The qualitative research method demonstrates the misfortunes experienced by African American boys in America. It puts much consideration to the fact that many African American students are raised in the low-income areas where parents are less concerned with the academic welfare of their boy children. However, this method does not determine the reasons behind African Americans living in such areas (Jones-Wilson, 1996). In the level of individualism, it is very significant to think about children’s beliefs in their competence and their personal motivation to academically succeed. This research indicates that children’s believe in their personal abilities becomes more negative while they grow older. This research finds that during adolescence, children interact with each other and thus discover their less competence in certain activities. African American children realize their difference in color and feel discriminated and consider themselves as misfits in the society of whites. They likely value themselves less and in that case develop negative implications of their color. This affects their efforts in school activities which include academics and the formation of social groups. Peer associations therefore bring in negative effects on academic outcomes. Positive relations with peers promote academic motivation and achievement with an improvement on life and psychological skills (Yeakey & Henderson, 2000). This research found out that African American students particularly are suspended or disciplined at disproportionate rates for such reasons like poor teacher training and racial stereotypes which lead to further disengagement and thereafter dropping out from school. In the review of the “Children’s Defense Fund”, 2007, the risk of falling into the jail pipeline is specifically named for boys of color whereby, one boy in every group of three is a boy of color. These methodologies possess much strength as it reveals out the relationship between certain psychological and physical problems and academic achievements. It analyses the issues of color, income and other social factors that contribute to the dropping out from school for many African American boys. In addition to that, the research shows that the African American students lack role models who would provide motivation. It is very evident that few or no senior officials have been elected in the American leadership. Due to such factors, the African American males consider themselves less valuable and as misfits in social or in the nation’s leadership. As a result of the high school dropout problem, America faces numerous negative consequences. For example; three quarters of the prison inmates are school dropouts. School dropouts are four times than high school graduates to be imprisoned in their lifetimes (Smith, et al. 1989). Dropouts are more likely to depend on public assistance than the people who have graduated from high school. There is some estimated lifetime revenue loss for African American dropouts that are equivalent to $940 billion. Students who drop out from school cost the nation over $260 billion incurred in lost wages, lost productivity and lost taxes over their lifetimes. This has been named a national disaster which has been confrontation to change. In the review of literature and resources that were found relevant to addressing this issue, the efforts to addressing this issue must be naturally systematic. The American nation therefore must apply the most applicable means of solving the problem of school dropout. As children progress in their school activities, educators and parents should particularly be very vigilant regarding their children’s academic performance. They should relevantly identify the warning signs of children who are most likely to drop out from school. Such characters like the development of an anti-social behavior in a child should be noted land corrected by parents at an early age of the child associated. Africa American children develop such anti-social behaviors at early stages due to their consideration of the color boys and the underestimation of the afri9can American boys. Such behaviors calls for early corrections before they are fully develop in the child (Martin, et al. 2009). The American government should develop strategies that address the issue of poverty among the African American families. They should do so by proving the best assistance of all students that should be governed by fairly and justified distribution of resources to all schools. The provision of assistants in schools would sort out the poor students and stop them from dropping out from school. Researches show that many African Americans drop out from school to look for the jobs so as to cater for their family needs. Many of them lack the necessary requirements in schools. Due to lack of money for the purchase of the major school requirements, many students drop out from school. The government should strategize for justified distribution of resources to all areas in America. This should be made to reach individuals living in the low-income areas. The mixed methodology shows that student associations are formed in favor of the color students. This develops a negative motive and a sense of been discriminated for the African American students. Such reasons lead to the dropout problem (Weatherspoon, 1998). Discussion A high school dropout has been found to erupt from various issues. This research has put much emphasis on poverty as the key reason behind school dropout as far as African American boy students are concerned. Large numbers of the African American people live in the low-income areas. Due to this reason, many boys from these families are recruited in farms which require untrained workers. The unskilled laborers are cheaply employed and therefore boys from the low-income families fall as victims. Lack of basic requirements in school has also been a major problem leading to students dropping out from schools. Racial discrimination can also lead to poverty. This is achieved in a place where resources are distributed with little or no consideration of justice. Whites in that situation fall on the safe side while the African Americans get very little or no resources in their communities. Poverty in that case leads to the African American males dropping out from schools to look for jobs in the companies that largely recruit unskilled males for mere payments. The availability of merchandisers in the low-income areas attract male child who end up as high school dropouts. The low-income areas are most affected with high crime rates. Students from such areas are most likely to drop out from schools and live at their homes where safety can least be found. Male children in such areas are as well made to stay back for the protection of families. Boys therefore serve as security personnel whereby some company owners recruit them for little salaries. This calls for government intervention to ensure the protection of all citizens regardless of their race and color. The low-income areas call for security from the government which would ensure that all children are served with respect to their rights. The issue of unemployment is also a real tragedy that needs to be addressed. This can be solved by ensuring justice in the distribution of resources (Hale, 2001). Parents and educators should on the other side ensure their identification of the warning signs in their children. Such signs like children’s anti-social behavior development should be addressed before it develops to a serious problem that would lead to the child dropping out from school. Conclusion Dropping out from school puts a severe limitation on the opportunities of future success for many children. It continues and deepens the poverty cycle into future generations. The access to good education is a lifeline through which many youths can bring themselves out of poverty. The high school dropout predicament is faced with the requirement of much commitment as well as total investments in high quality education, attention to emotional and social learning, progressive monitoring of school attendance and the student’s academic progress. There should also be some intensive instruction for the students who fall behind, fostering a favorable school climate and a real engagement with student parents, communities and families. The future of America depends on the release of a high value education for all children regardless of their social economic status, race, ethnicity, sex orientation or disability. This must be greatly observed to ensure the development of America’s full potential. Educating students and equipping them to become responsible, knowledgeable, socially skilled and contributing citizens should be a mission for every school. This mission should receive much support from the government with the provision of relevant strategies which guide the delivery of education for all children in America. References Barnes, A. S. (1992). Retention of African-American males in high school: A study of African-American male high school dropouts, African-American male seniors and white maleseniors. Lanham, Mar: University Press of America. Geyer, H. S. (2007). International handbook of urban policy. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar. Hale, J. E. (2001). Learning while Black: Creating educational excellence for African American children. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. Jones-Wilson, F. C. (1996). Encyclopedia of African-American education. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press. Martin, C. L., Fabes, R. A., & Fabes, R. A. (2009). Discovering child development. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. Smith, W. D. M., & Chunn, E. W. (1989). Black education: A quest for equity and excellence. New Brunswick, N.J., U.S.A: Transaction Publishers. Weatherspoon, F. D. (1998). African-American males and the law: Cases and materials. Lanham: University Press of America. Yeakey, C. C., & Henderson, R. D. (2000). Surmounting all odds: Education, opportunity, and society in the new millennium. Greenwich, Conn: Information Age Pub. Read More