What percentage of middle school students drop out before graduation?
We know that there are 3 types of dropouts. There is the “physical dropout”. These are students who physically leave school. Since the age of leaving school generally falls between the ages of 15-17 we call it a “high school dropout problem.” But for most of our states, the highest dropout rate is between the 8th and 9th year or between the 9th and 10th year. Estimates of middle school dropout are 8.8% of the whole. The other two types are the “psychological” dropout. These are students who are physically in the building but mentally are 1,000, miles away. The last category are the “pushouts”. These students are told by teachers, “I do not want you in my class.” Or they are told by principals, “I do not want you in my school. High stakes state testing and NCLB is dramatically increasing this category.
8.6% Educators — and others — believe that dropping out of school is a high school problem. In fact, there’s no such thing as a high school dropout! Dropping out of school is not an event; it’s a process — and data indicates that that process begins as early as third grade. According to the United States Department of Education, 8.6 percent of school dropouts occur in middle school. Educators must start in elementary school to identify students who are having difficulty achieving success — and build safety nets into the learning process for those students. http://www.schargel.com/scg/educationworldreprint.
We know that there are 3 types of dropouts. There is the “physical dropout”. These are students who physically leave school. Since the age of leaving school generally falls between the ages of 15-17 we call it a “high school dropout problem.” But for most of our states, the highest dropout rate is between the 8th and 9th year or between the 9th and 10th year. Estimates of middle school dropout are 8.8% of the whole. The other two types are the “psychological” dropout. These are students who are physically in the building but mentally are 1,000, miles away. The last category are the “pushouts”. These students are told by teachers, “I do not want you in my class.” Or they are told by principals, “I do not want you in my school. High stakes state testing and NCLB is dramatically increasing this category.
8.6% Educators — and others — believe that dropping out of school is a high school problem. In fact, there’s no such thing as a high school dropout! Dropping out of school is not an event; it’s a process — and data indicates that that process begins as early as third grade. According to the United States Department of Education, 8.6 percent of school dropouts occur in middle school. Educators must start in elementary school to identify students who are having difficulty achieving success — and build safety nets into the learning process for those students. http://www.schargel.com/scg/educationworldreprint.
