Today’s post, by Tracey Savell Reavis, is from the .
Last week I tuned in to NPR鈥檚 鈥淭alk of the Nation,鈥� and their special series, Dropping Out, A Life-Changing Decision. They opened with an alarming statistic 鈥� of the nearly 4 million kids who start ninth grade every year, 1 in 4 will not graduate. There was talk about programs that provide course work and career counseling specifically for dropouts. And about how to involve parents in helping students go back to school. And as I listened and shook my head at the information, I remembered the original thought I鈥檓 embarrassed to say I鈥檇 had when I first joined Communities In Schools: How relevant of an issue is the dropout crisis today?
It鈥檚 not as if I鈥檇 been living under a rock (or without an Internet connection). It鈥檚 just that in an economy where people with Master鈥檚 degrees are taking no-and low-paying internships, and retired executives are working at fast-food restaurants, I somehow felt surely, by now, everyone knew you couldn鈥檛 get anywhere without a high school diploma. But without that high school diploma, there鈥檚 not likely to be a college degree or an executive title. In the NPR series, we met four young people for whom the dropout issue is something they are dealing with now.
I鈥檓 not sure which of the dropouts profiled had it worse: The young woman who was a teen mom, now raising two children and determined to break the dropout cycle within her own family. Or the 19-year-old who, instead of having a high school diploma, already has a criminal record and limited employment prospects. Or the 44-year-old man who can鈥檛 even apply for better paying jobs, and admits that dropping out of school was the biggest mistake he鈥檇 ever made. As the dropout data suggests, the decision to leave school can have an impact that lasts for years.
NPR also declared that of all the problems with the American education system, the dropout crisis was the most urgent. Here鈥檚 another stat 鈥� 97 percent of students helped by Communities In Schools stay in school. Unlike dropout rescue programs, designed to help students after they鈥檝e hit rock bottom, Communities In Schools surrounds students with a community of support to ensure they stay in school. Our model of integrated services addresses the academic and human service needs of students. And a five-year, independent evaluation concluded that Communities In Schools is the only organization proven to both increase graduation rates and lower dropout rates.
With the start of the new school year just weeks away, we are reminded that thousands of young people still need our help. I鈥檓 certain there鈥檚 a good reason NPR brought attention to this crisis. And I鈥檓 convinced the work we do at Communities In Schools to help students achieve their full potential and graduate is more relevant today than ever.