| A country’s
education system is the backbone of everything
that it has in its future, and it is for this
reason that the educational system should be given
top priority. A nation is recognized by the literacy
level it has, and this reflects in the behavior
of the people of that land and the way that they
relate to outsiders. The world has no shortage
of these examples, and it is for this reason that
one can easily see why most of the world is in
total chaos. One can also see why other countries
such as the US are doing better in this respect.
However, the fact remains that there is always
room for improvement, as there are still several
problems that teachers and parents both have to
deal with. One of the greatest problems schools
in countries such as the US face is school dropouts.
Working towards this problem would mean solving
a significantly problematic area.
The number of dropouts from schools across the
country is seen as something that is threatening
the future of the country. It is of vital importance
that teachers, parents and other concerned authorities
do something about it before it reaches a point
of no return. The bulk of these kinds of students
are those that are severely affected by family
problems, addictions and misguidance. All these
are problems that need to be solved. If the families
of these people are not doing their share then
the state or educational authorities can do something
for them. All this is covered by the taxes that
the citizens pay, so, it should be stressed here
that this is not an extra burden on the state.
Suggestions for remedies will be discussed later
in this paper.
Realizing the fact that troubled homes are basically
the root of school dropouts, one must realize
also what the statistics say. In a study by Kalter
and Rembar, 144 child and adolescent patients,
whose parents were divorced, presented an evaluation
with three most commonly occurring problems:
1. 56% Poor grades or grades substantially below
ability and/or recent past performance
2. 43% Aggression toward parents
3. 69% indicating subjective psychological distress
47% academic problems 41% aggression toward patients.
(Kalter and Rembar: "Children's Psychiatric
Hospital, University of Michigan" in Lohr,
1989)
In contemporary society today, there are many
parents who do not want their children to ever
become victims of corporal punishment at school,
and raising their hands on their own children
is something they cannot imagine. In contrast
to these parents, there are some people who do
not even bother whether their children are beaten
(Understanding Anger in the Parent-Child Relationship,
1998). They themselves indulge in severely beating
their children, which damages children’s
perceptions of proper parenting. Some of them
grow up believing that being beaten up is part
of being a child.
With several families lacking the role of a father
in them there are many children who have suffered
tremendously, and this is reflected in the way
that fatherless youth find themselves in all sorts
of trouble today. Relationships between single-parents
and children are of vital importance because of
the fact that the developmental phases of children
depend directly on the way that they are treated
by their parents. The absence of either parent
causes a disruption in the lives of the youth.
In cases where a father is absent there is an
absence of an instinctive leader in the family
that causes it to break down.
In addition to the above compelling statistics,
the following statistics target particular family
problems. These statistics have been abstracted
from Effects of Fatherlessness (US Data):
1. 85% of all children that exhibit behavioral
disorders come from fatherless homes (Source:
Center for Disease Control)
2. 90% of all homeless and runaway children are
from fatherless homes (Source: U.S. D.H.H.S.,
Bureau of the Census)
3. 71% of all high school dropouts come from
fatherless homes (Source: National Principals
Association Report on the State of High Schools.)
4. 75% of all adolescent patients in chemical
abuse centers come from fatherless homes (Source:
Rainbows for all God's Children.)
5. 63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes
(Source: U.S. D.H.H.S., Bureau of the Census)
(Effects of Fatherlessness, 2004)
Though all the above statistics in one way or
another point at individuals dropping out of school
because of family problems, there may be other
reasons as well. These may include keeping company
that is inappropriate and misleading or simply
not being able to cope with academic demands.
However social workers could work in tandem with
schools as well as parents to help get children
on the right track.
For children who flunk in school or wish to dropout
as a result of not doing well in their related
subjects owing family stresses, etc., they can
always sit for remedial classes to cover up their
weak areas. Another thing that could be provided
to them is vocational training for those who simply
find that they cannot cope with the stress of
the subject that they are studying. This all should
be designed by the school itself and then approved
by the educational authorities. “Each year
more than half a million college students successfully
complete remediation, and after remediation they
do as well in standard college courses as those
students who begin fully prepared” (McCabe,
2002).
Aside from this, these students may be trained
in other activities, and a team on the educational
panel can carry out the search for talent in other
departments. Their job will be to analyze the
intelligence of these students and then work to
discover their hidden talents. After this, they
can be groomed in the fields that they are talented
in.
A committee composed of ten most experienced members
of the teaching staff of each school. Officials
from the board of education to ensure that are
not being neglected will monitor these students
(Transforming Secondary Education, 2004).
‘Year around school’ is something
that can keep the children alert all through the
year. The difference is that to the students this
will not be as though it is regular school. What
we mean is that at the time of summer or winter
vacation the school will not be closed, and it
will function as a summer program or winter program.
It is during this valuable time that we can train
students for other activities that will be of
use to them in everyday life (Allen, 2004). The
idea behind this is that the students will not
be allowed to become lazy during the vacations
and it is especially for children whose parents
cannot be with the most of the day during the
vacations. The students in this way will be learning
a great deal through fun activities and sports,
and will not be allowed to sit idle. This will
of course be with the approval of the parents
(A Comparison of Guidance Program…, 2004).
These are just few of the changes that we can
implement without disturbing the lives of so many
people involved in the same. It is these kinds
of changes that will ensure more success of the
students even if they are dropouts.
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