Technology and Engaged Learning for Dropout Prevention: Motivating At-Risk Students towards Graduation - Article Example

May 2009, CNN reports that “nearly 6.2 million students in the United States between the ages of 16 and 24 in 2007 dropped out of high school, fueling what a report released Tuesday called “a persistent high school dropout crisis.”” Nearly all presidential administrations have had to deal with the national dropout crisis. Now, one might wonder why the preoccupation in dropout prevention when there are other more pressing matters like poverty, high unemployment rates, the current economic recession, and the like. The answer is quite simple; the increasing rate of high school dropouts is seen as a national crisis because “inadequate education affects not only the poorly educated individual but also the society because of lost productivity, lower tax revenues, and higher costs of public services” (Levin, 2009, p. 5). It is true that high school is the minimum requirement to be able to get a job that has a promise of growth and future financial stability; especially in today’s competitive market where a college degree is preferred by most of the big and successful companies (Levin, 2009, p. 8; Strother, 2006). If these high school dropouts are not given adequate job opportunities, they become more susceptible to joining gangs and engaging in criminal activities, which translates into more government funding spent on crime prevention and prisoner upkeep (Christle, Jolivette and Nelson, 2007, p. 325). As they engage in low-paying jobs and doing odd jobs, making do with what their qualifications can get them and earning a lot less than graduates, or even living on welfare, the country’s funds are being depleted (CNN, 2009). While high school and college graduates pay taxes, these taxes are then being used to sustain the country’s unemployed and the poor and homeless. Hence, high school dropouts are more at risk of becoming a burden to the state. In short, education, dubbed by Schargel, Thacker and Bell (2007, p. 5) as “the bedrock of our nation’s prosperity and freedom,” is key to addressing the most pressing issues of the country today as it translates to greater productivity, higher tax revenues and lower cost of public services. This is the main reason why the development of dropout prevention programs that will effectively increase graduation rates—with all fifty states actively engaging in increasing their schools’ high school graduation rates—is highly significant. Student Engagement The focus of most dropout prevention programs is increasing student engagement. Greg Kearsley and Ben Shneiderman (1999), proponents of the Engagement Theory state that “the fundamental idea underlying engagement theory is that students must be meaningfully engaged in learning activities through interaction with others and worthwhile tasks.” This includes both cognitive functioning and social interaction—curricular and extra-curricular activities. This means that for students to become engaged in school, they need to have not just the motivation to learn, but more importantly, the desire to stay in school as prompted by factors such as friendships and a sense of belonging. They need to want to stay in school because they are interested in what they are learning in class and also because they like going to school to meet up with their friends or engage in activities such as cheerleading, basketball, and other such extra-curricular activities. The attention on student engagement is made stronger by Finn’s (as cited in Lehr, et al., 2004, p. 16) theory of disengagement, wherein dropping out of school is defined as a slow process that spans years of withdrawal. This may be due to many factors such as low grades, behavior problems and negative school experiences like being labeled an outcast and having no friends (Lehr, et al., 2004, p. 16). Hence, at the heart of dropout prevention programs is getting the students to become engaged in learning and in school early on. This is where the use of technology as a dropout prevention strategy comes in. Technology and Engaged Learning With the onslaught of the digital age and the rise of the use of internet-based applications, wherein 68.7% of American households have computer and internet access, computer technology is something that has become a necessity for most of the U.S. population (U.S. Census Bureau, 2009). Furthermore, jobs that require computer skills have risen as companies and institutions have computerized various key processes like data management, employee time cards, and the like. The internet, in particular, has become a popular social, entertainment and educational tool for American youths, as well as young professionals. Because of this fact, educational institutions need to keep up with the times and incorporate computer and internet programs in their curriculum and extra-curricular activities. “Due to the influence of technology the nature of literacy is changing. The Internet has exposed students a world of knowledge that is unavailable in traditional print” (Sullivan, 2004). Hence, there is a need to incorporate the proper use of computer and internet technology in the classroom. Because of the fact that students nowadays are immersed in the use of the computer and the internet, computers and the internet can be valuable tools in increasing student engagement. Aside from increasing the literacy rate and enhancing the performance of students, the proper use of digital technology in schools can hold the students’ attention and interest, making them more engaged towards school and learning. Furthermore, “computer technology in the classroom will support and add value to the curriculum outcomes, and supplement literacy instruction, especially for “at risk” students” (Sullivan, 2004). For instance, “research on motivation suggests that using technology to simulate or to apply mathematics concepts to real-world problems is likely to engage students’ interest” (National Research Council (U.S.): Committee on Increasing High School Students' Engagement and Motivation to Learn, 2004, p. 45). This shows that the use of technology in the classroom has a positive effect on students’ motivation to learn even the hardest and most hated of subjects. With this premise in mind, technology has not only been used to increase students’ learning outcomes, but it has also been integrated in dropout prevention strategies to help at-risk students—students who more prone than others to drop out of school—stay in school and graduate (Cardon and Christensen, 2004). However, it must be noted that for this to be effective, teachers need to use technology wisely and properly. It is not enough to just use hi-tech gadgets when teaching or just allow students to use the internet during class with the hopes of increasing their desire to come to school and take their minds off dropping out (Schargel, Thacker and Bell, 2007, p. 45). The use of technology has to be structured in order to successfully promote student engagement; and most of the time, it goes hand in hand with other dropout prevention strategies like tutoring, mentoring, and the like. The Charlottesville City Schools WALK Program A very good example of how successful technology is when it comes to preventing at-risk students from dropping out is the WALK program in the Charlottesville City Schools. Charlottesville High School (CHS) is ranked one of the nation’s best by Newsweek, but poverty and the lingering effects of racial discrimination contribute to a drop-out rate of TK%, and a distressing achievement gap throughout Charlottesville's public schools. In order to address this alarming situation, the WALK program was developed and launched in March, 2008. The success of the program is evidenced by the fact that in the 2008-2009 school year, 110 students earned a total of 93 credits through WALK; of these, 43 were seniors who graduated with their class of TK#. Rooted in online learning systems, WALK allows an assortment of students to work on different courses at their own pace; the classroom often resembles a one-room schoolhouse. Students come to the WALK classroom for one or more periods throughout the school day and/or the after-school session. As they proceed through their online coursework, students are bolstered with side-by-side tutoring; it is not uncommon to see a student and instructor, elbow to elbow and surrounded by notebooks, reinforcing the work of lessons leading up to each unit's mastery assessment. Teaching in WALK sometimes mirrors parenting as instructors work to earn trust and build relationships. The WALK program epitomizes the way that technology, combined with sincerity, student body research and the integration of other dropout prevention strategies, can successfully reach out to at-risk students, increase student engagement, and ultimately boost graduation rates. Through the WALK program, it can be seen how working together towards a common goal can break barriers. The traditional school setting is not completely broken down; but rather, it is enhanced—through the use of technology—to capture the students’ interests and stimulate their desire for learning. With these types of programs, students not only become engaged in school, but more importantly, their desire to learn is awakened and nurtured. A Positive Outlook Modern technology is not the enemy. It should not be viewed as an obstruction to learning. Technology is not a threat to the traditional classroom setting. Instead, it is an educational tool that can be used with more flexibility and imagination that rouses students’ desire to learn, increases student engagement and enhances learning outcomes. When used properly, technology can become the educator’s best friend and the answer to the country’s dropout crisis. A positive outlook on technology is important for educators to achieve in order to harness its powerful effect on the youth into a constructive dropout prevention strategy. Instead of viewing technology as something that takes students away from education and learning, why not use its allure as a tool to draw youngsters to school. Only in this way will technology be positively integrated into the educational system and increase graduation rates. References Cardon, P. L. and Christensen, K. W. (2004). Technology-Based Programs and Drop-Out Prevention. The Journal of Technology Studies. Retrieved April 12, 2010 from http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JOTS/Winter-Spring-1998/cardon.html Christle, C. A., Jolivette, K. and Michael, N. C. (2007). School characteristics related to high school dropout rates. Remedial and Special Education, 28(6), 325+. CNN. (2009, May). 'High school dropout crisis' continues in U.S., study says. Retrieved April 10, 2010 from http://edition.cnn.com/2009/US/05/05/dropout.rate.study/index.html Kearsley, G. and Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement theory: A framework for technology- based teaching and learning. Retrieved April 10, 2010 from http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm Levin, H. M. (2009). The economic payoff to investing in educational justice. Educational Researcher, 38(5), pp. 5-18. National Research Council (U.S.): Committee on Increasing High School Students' Engagement and Motivation to Learn. (2004). Engaging schools: fostering high school students' motivation to learn. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. Schargel, F. P., Thacker, T. and Bell, J. S. (2007). From at risk to academic excellence: what successful leaders do. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education. Ѕtrothеr, D. B. (2006). Dropping out. Phi Delta Kappan, 68(4), pp. 325-328. Sullivan, D. J. (2004). Learning Theory, Literacy, and Technology in Elementary Schools. Retrieved April 12, 2010 from http://www.cdli.ca/~dsulliva/technology/index.htm U.S. Census Bureau. (2009). Internet Use in the United States: October 2009. Retrieved April 12, 2010 from http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/computer/2009.html Read More