Education is highly valued in American society. As the competition for employment and higher earnings increase, there is an urgent need for many students to finish high school and attend college to compete in the workforce. Thus, there is a prevalent link between attaining a high school diploma and future success. But the high school dropout rate continues to remain a controversial issue. Some students who are failing academically don’t feel the need to complete high school to gain success. But by offering vocational learning to students who are failing, they will feel more secure about finishing school. Thus, high school students with failing grades will benefit significantly from vocational schools because high school graduates have higher success rates.
The high school drop-rate continues to remain alarmingly high among American high schoolers. According to the New York Times, only 7 of 10 ninth graders today will graduate high school and about 80 percent of white and Asian students receive high school diplomas while only 55 percent of blacks and Hispanics complete high school (Levin, Rouse “The True Cost of High School Drop Outs). Also, the Boston Globe reports that 1 million students drop out of secondary schools annually (Stergios, “How Vocational Technical Schools are Lowering Dropout Rates”). Thus, the high school drop-out rate remains a big problem in American society as some at-risk students do not feel that finishing high school is a necessity. Thus, this statistical information clearly shows that drop outs are a national issue.
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Moreover, students who attend schools in areas that are highly populated with violence and poverty tend to become problematic in school. According to the Journal of Educational Research, “problematic adolescents tend to be identified early by teachers, parents, peers, and therapists as students with a propensity to drop out of high school (Hickman et al. 5). Also, dropouts greatly impact the overall socio-economic climate of America. According to the Boston Globe, “the cost of a dropout over a lifetime has been estimated at up to $500,000 in lost wages, increased entitlements, and criminal justice spending” (Stergios, “How Vocational Schools are Lowering Dropout Rates”). Ultimately, high school dropouts create a big problem not only for the educational system, but the national economic condition.
Although at-risk students feel that attaining a high school diploma is hopeless and unnecessary, vocational training is an effective solution to help high school dropouts get back on track with their education. Vocational training can help students learn specific skills and trades to become productive and compete in the workforce. It specializes in tailoring the resources to fit the educational needs of each student. The career training that students will receive in vocational schools will motivate them to finish high school because they will be interested in gaining more knowledge and skills in their desired career field.
Also, there is a lower dropout rate among students who attend vocational technical schools. For instance, the dropout rate for Worchester Tech, a vocational school located in Boston, Massachuetts, was just 0.5 percent, which placed it below the statewide average of 2.7 percent for the 2010-2011 school year. Also, the special education graduation rate for vocational technical schools is 82 percent, which is 20 percent higher than traditional district high schools. (Stergios, “How Vocational Schools are Lowering Dropout Rates”). Thus, the statistical information regarding the graduation success of vocational schools shows that it is an effective alternative for at-risk students.
Yet even though there are helpful, alternate routes for education such as vocational schools, some at-risk and dropout students argue that high school cannot provide them with the success they desire. According to the Journal of Educational Research, “the lack of academic mastery and success leads children to feel as if they do not belong in school. The more students feel that they do not belong in school, the more school may become less inviting and rewarding” (Hickman et al. 4).
Thus, they feel that they can be equally successful without a high school degree such as other famous high school dropouts like Bill Gates. Forbes highlights successful multimillionaires such as Robert De Niro, Simon Cowell and Jay-Z as proof that high school doesn’t equate to success. According to Nancy Koehn, Historian of Entrepreneurship at Harvard Business School, “the success of commercial wunderkinds has much to do with what they learned outside the classroom” (Lee, Coster, “Multimillionaires without High School Diplomas”).
But statistics still show that students with high school diplomas have a greater chance of attending college and obtaining higher paying jobs. “Studies show that the typical high school graduate will obtain higher employment and earnings, a 50 percent to 100 percent increase in lifetime income, and they will be less likely to need assistance from public money for health care and welfare, and be involved in the criminal justice system (Levin, Rouse, “The True Cost of High School Dropouts”). Also, high school graduates have a significant impact on the economic stability of the nation as a whole. According to the New York Times, the investment return for each new graduate is $1.45 to $3.55 for every dollar of investment, which provides a net benefit of about $127,000 to taxpayers over the graduate’s lifetime (Levin, Rouse, “The True Cost of High School Dropouts”).
Ultimately, the statistics further show that the long-term benefit of obtaining a high school diploma far outweighs the probability of a high school dropout obtaining the same amount of success. Thus, it is detrimental for students to finish high school. The benefits and incentives of gaining a quality education is valuable. Also, vocational schools offer at-risk students an opportunity to learn more skills and knowledge to help them with their desired career goals. Essentially, the educational, innovations, and technological expertise that high school graduates will gain through college and careers will help to boost the social and economic condition of America, and create a better nation for future children.
- Hickman, Gregory P., Bartholomew, Mitchell, Mathwig, Jennifer, Heinrich, Randy S.
“Differential Developmental Pathways of High School Dropouts and Graduates.” Journal of Educational Research 102.1 (2008): 3-14. EbscoHost. - Lee, Jane, Coster, Helen A. “Multimillionaires Without High School Diplomas.” Forbes. 8 Dec. 2010. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com. Web.
- Levin, Henry M., Rouse, Cecilia E. “The True Cost of High School Dropouts.” New York Times.
25 January 2012. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com. Web. - Stergios, Jim. “How Vocational Technical Schools are Lowering Dropout Rates.” Boston Globe. 23 Jan. 2013. Retrieved from http://www.boston.com. Web.
