This is a term utilized to describe an institution with a high student dropout rate. The term “dropout factory” isn’t new to education. For several years, the term has referred to high schools with many students who didn’t graduate with a diploma or finish high school. In a dropout factory, 60 percent or less of the students, who enter the institution as freshmen, come out as graduates. Such institutions are often used to demonstrate the inequality in the education system because they’re often concentrated in disadvantaged and low-income neighborhoods.
There’re different reasons why an institution becomes a dropout factory. For instance, some students actually transfer instead of dropping out, but it may be difficult to track those students through multiple districts and schools, so they’re often included in the dropout statistics. In other instances, students actually drop out or fail to achieve the grades necessary to graduate and decide not to take remedial instruction.
Institutions are at higher risk of becoming dropout factories when they’ve limited funding, which makes it difficult to retain high-quality teachers and maintain academic programs. Institutions that have students from families with a limited education level might also become dropout factories. This is because the parents may not push their children to complete their high school education or value education. Students may also have to deal with problems such as the need to work to support their families, the need to care for younger siblings, or parents with substance addictions.
In low-income neighborhoods, students sometimes get the opportunity to choose from multiple schools. However, all of these schools may demonstrate comparably low performance since they all suffer from the same social problems and funding difficulties. This can be frustrating for students who’ve problems at a dropout factory and try to transfer to another institution to increase their chances of getting an education. When they encounter the same problems at the new institution, they may simply give up instead of trying to transfer out of the district.
Here’re some suggestions on promoting a positive environment for all students to graduate from high school.
· Administrators and educators should consider having smaller class sizes to better student progress. Many institutions are overcrowded, and class size impacts the level of attention teachers can provide to help students succeed.
· School psychologists and counselors should help students work through difficult situations and problems and feel more connected to the school.
· For pupils with behavioral problems or learning disabilities, it can be hard to maintain focus and progress in the classroom environment. Special education teachers should help these students more easily progress in school.
