The Perils of Dropping Out

From the Philadelphia Business Journal

Pa. study points up perils of dropping out
Thursday, October 23, 2008 - 2:49 PM EDT

The future for high school dropouts in Pennsylvania is not a bright one, according to a report released on Thursday which shows that twice as many are unemployed and living in poverty than their peers with diplomas.

A dropout in Pennsylvania can expect to earn roughly $19,000 per year, compared to the $45,000 earned by a college graduate with a bachelor’s degree, according to the report, “Dropping Back In: Re-engaging Out-of-School-Youth,” which was released by the Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, a statewide children’s advocacy group. Dropouts are also twice as likely to live in poverty as youth who have earned a high school diploma and three times as likely as youth who have attended some college or earned an associate’s degree, the child’s advocacy group reported.

“In today’s high-tech world, securing a high school diploma is a must but far too many Pennsylvania children fail to graduate,” said Joan L. Benso, president and CEO of PA Partnerships for Children. “It is imperative that we provide the necessary supports to not only keep kids in school and prevent them from dropping out in the first place, but to find a way to re-engage them in their education once they have dropped out.”

Last year, Pennsylvania had a 20 percent graduation gap, meaning that 20 percent of the ninth graders in the 2003-04 school year failed to graduate from the same school district four years later.

The report recommended several options to the state in addressing and preventing dropouts, including support to advance the literacy skills of struggling students, accelerated learning and credit recovery for students who are over-age and severely under-credited, and evening classes and online courses to address the particular needs of out-of-school youth.

A high school diploma is a must in today’s ever-changing high-tech world, but it shouldn’t be the finish line because young people will need to extend their education beyond high school to access high-skill, high-wage occupations, the study concluded.