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High School Dropouts

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Submitted By leesh
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High School Dropouts Every nine seconds, an American high school student becomes a dropout, that's approximately one in four students who enter high school as freshmen and fail to earn a diploma four years later. (Dropout Rates, 2012) America has lost sight of the single most important aspect to our future, their children’s education. The issue of high school dropouts was selected because children entering into their teenage years have a huge task in front of them, the completion of high school is not an option it is a MUST. However, this is not the case in many homes across America. American high school students may think about their future, but are high school and college completion included in those thoughts? Students that feel that they are ready for college are those who are prepared and figure they will graduate high school and succeed. What is stopping the other 30% from knowing? What are all the factors that stop these children from completing high school and then moving on to college? The questions that must be asked here are:
1. Why students leave high school before completion?
2. Who/What is to blame?
3. What social policies keep students in school?
4. How to help prevent dropouts?

The Problem
With every 1 in 4 high school students dropping out, the problem seems to be larger than anticipated. High school dropouts create a slew of problems, socially, locally and nationally. “High school dropouts commit about 75 percent of crimes in the United States and are much more likely to be on public assistance than those who complete high school. Dropouts earn only about 60 percent of what high school graduates earn and only about 40 percent of the income of college degree holders – resulting in about $50 billon dollars in lost state and federal tax revenues each year. Dropouts are much more likely to have health problems than non-dropouts. A

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