A Plan to Decrease the Dropout Rate among School Students

A Plan to Decrease the Dropout Rate among School Students SCENERIO ABC High School has seen a dramatic increase in the number of students who are choosing to drop out of school over the past decade. The reasons are limitless. They range from failure to identify students who may be at risk of dropping out, to inadequate academic programming to accommodate at risk students, to lack of parental concern and involvement. Therefore, the Academic Council has developed a comprehensive plan that will address the issue of the student dropout rate and provide goals and actions to take to decrease the dropout rate among our high school students. For the purpose of this writing, dropout rate is defined as the rate at which students withdraw from school during grades nine through twelve and who do not attain a General Education Degree (GED). TABLE OF CONTENTS Title Scenario Table of Contents Demographics Background Statement of the Problem Members of Planning Committee: Leadership Team Initial Meeting and Future Meetings Mission Belief/Statement Paramet ers Scanning Tools SWOT Analysis Literature Review Goals Strategic Communication to Share Plan Action Teams Action Plans Communication of Results/Outcomes Future Recommendations References/Bibliography Appendix/Appendices DEMOGRAPHICS ABC High School is located at 1234 School Way, Your Town, GA; a rural area in the North Georgia mountains. The student population is comprised of the following: Enrollment 1997 Students per Teacher Ratio 16.4:1 Economically Disadvantaged 51.3% Breakdown by Ethnicity for Students – White 84.0% Black 0.4% Hispanic 13.7% Asian/Pacific Islander 0.5% American Indian/Alaska Native 0.2% Number of students eligible for free and/or reduced meals 1116 Number of teachers 128 Degrees held by teachers Bachelor’s Degree 45.1% Master’s Degree 34.2% Master’s Degree + 30 Hours 15.3% Doctoral Degree 2.7% Description of organization Began in 1934 with 300 students and 13 teachers Eight classrooms Small library Office A partial basement housed classrooms for agriculture and science classes Description of community Businesses in area Automotive repair Carpet industry Computer and electronics Food and dining Home – indoor/outdoor Real estate Travel and recreation Business services Community services Finance Health and personal care Legal Shopping Religious entities 26 churches in ABC High School area Baptist (includes Southern Baptist, Free Will Baptist, Missionary Baptist, Independent Baptist), Methodist, Pentecostal, and Non-Denominational Other educational facilities 1 four-year college within 30 miles of ABC High School Community celebrations (what’s important in this area) Sporting events Town festivals Parent educational levels Number of people who have achieved the following levels of education: No high school 3316 Some high school 4601 Some college 3726 Associates Degree 967 Bachelor’s Degree 1321 Graduate Degree 695 BACKGROUND The dropout rate among high school students has steadily increased o ver the past decade. In several of the largest school systems across the country half of the students are dropping out (Thomas and Date, 2006). Some of the contributing factors to this increase are a lack of appropriate measures to identify students who may be at risk of dropping out, a lack of adequate and appropriate programs that will foster academic achievement for at-risk high school students, and a failure to educate parents on the importance of their participation in the education process of their child. What events have occurred over the past decade that affected the dropout rate? There are less stringent consequences for students who do not attend school, as well for parents who do not actively participate in the educational progress of their child. There is a decrease in parental involvement, due in part to mothers returning to the workforce. There is an increase in the occurrence of teen pregnancy and teen parenthood.