Why do Students Drop Out of School?

Some American high schools have a dropout rate of up to 50%. There are many reasons for students leaving school :

• For two thirds of the dropouts motivation is the problem. They can’t just work hard enough.

• Almost half of them said that they had missed so many classes that they could notcatch up any more.

• Many said that they were not prepared well enough in their earlier school.

• For a third of them getting a job was more important than finishing school.

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High school dropouts have more problems in society and in their future lives.  They are more likely to be unemployed or live in poverty. There is also a big difference in income if you compare high school dropouts with graduates. According to data by the US Census bureau Americans with a bachelor’s degree earn about  $ 50,000 , those with a high school diploma about  $28,000 and dropouts only about $ 20,000.

Many pupils do not understand the implications of dropping out of school. They often demand better teachers, more lessons to catch up in subjects and more help with learning problems. Some schools have adopted to this situation. They offer evening classes or allow students to come back at a later age.

Words

• dropout = to leave school before you are finished with it

• catch up =  to get as far as the other pupils because you have missed something

• society = people in general

• unemployed = out of work

• income = the money you get when you work

• graduate = if you finish the last class of school successfully

• Census bureau = the organisation that counts the number of people who live in a country

• bachelor’s degree = the first part of studies at a university

• implication = effect

• demand = want

• adopt to = to change the way you think about something