The Rate of Underprivileged Students Dropping Out Is Still Substantially High in the Bronx High Schools: Students’ Research and Viewpoints

WebQuest

By Hassan Laaroussi
Harry S Truman High School
hlaaroussi@schools.nyc.gov

 

 

Introduction

You are participating in a community organization group called “SAVE A STUDENT”, which is a local organization in the Bronx that works to identify and implement solutions that would address the dropout problem and keep students on track.  It partners with local high schools to counter this crisis and the students who are most at risk are flagged.  The school and the center coordinate with each other to assess the reasons these students are acting out and try to determine ways to counter the possibility of them dropping out. The center adapts prevention measures by expanding students’ opportunities by engaging them in projects to keep them out of the streets and to open up new venues for them.  This community center offers many recreational and educational activities.  Many guests are invited to speak to these students.  These guests are usually natives of the Bronx who managed to attain a level of success despite the odds stacked against them.  They give back to the community by talking to the youth at the center about the possibilities that a college degree would offer them compared to the gang, criminal and substance abuse lifestyle that the streets offer.  In this Web Quest Project, you will research the root causes of students dropping out of High school and brainstorm ways to address the problem and engage these students back in school.

 

 “The status dropout rate represents the percentage of 16- through 24-year-olds who are not enrolled in school and have not earned a high school credential (either a diploma or an equivalency credential such as a General Educational Development [GED] certificate),” writes the National Center for Education Statistics.  “The status dropout rate decreased from 12 percent in 1990 to 7 percent in 2012, with most of the decline occurring s increased from 1990 to 2012. The percentage of dropouts with less than 9 years of schooling accounted for 18 percent of status dropouts in 2012, compared with 29 percent in 1990.” On the other hand, According to the U.S. Census Bureau as stated in the above picture, it pays to stay in school and get a degree, the median earnings for a high school dropouts is $18,900, while high school graduates make $25,900, and college graduates earn $45,400 since 2000. The number of years of school that high school dropouts completed

Though the above data indicate that nationwide, the average of students’ dropout had decreased, there are a substantial number of Bronx high school students that are still dropping out of school.  These students belong to the low-income minority.   This is one of the reasons this problem still exists. Demographically, the Bronx has a population of 30% Black and 50% Hispanic, these minority groups belong to the low income class. Indeed, almost 1/3 of adult Bronx residents and over 40% of Bronx children live below the poverty line, which is one of the barriers to attaining any high education, and making students succumb to their economic situation. Many times students are forced out of school due to economic reasons; they have to drop out and start working to help their families financially. These students also attend school in bad neighborhoods, the street life is more appealing than school. Schools do not have the resources to help these students. Counselors are outnumbered and overwhelmed with the large number of students in need of  help. The classrooms in these schools are usually crowded, and the students do not get either a rigorous education, they get frustrated at not getting the lessons, and they just lose interest.

 

 

Task
You have joined SAVE A STUDENT, a community group working to address the alarming crisis of students dropping out of High School in the Bronx. Your mission is to research the various root causes of this problem and to propose based on the outcome of your study what policies should be adapted to prevent these students from dropping out and engage them back to finish their schooling and obtain a degree.

Specifically, you will work in groups to create a PowerPoint presentation about you community High School.  You must research the factors that are causing students drop out of High School in the Bronx and propose one or more solutions that can be enacted to save the students from dropping out.  Your PowerPoint will also address the feasibility of your proposed solution:  What are the obstacles that may prevent the solution from being implemented, and what can be done to overcome these obstacles?

Process

You will work in groups of four to create a PowerPoint about one typical High School. Each member of the group will have a specific role:

 

1.  High School or Community School description: 
Your role is to introduce the High School or Community school. 
Here are some questions you will have to address in your presentation:

a) What kind of high school (community school or zone school)?
b) What role does the High School/Community School play in the community?
c) Which elementary, middle, high schools and/or alternative and virtual schools do most of your dropouts pass through?
d)  What percent and number of the students who start the ninth grade in your community do not graduate from high school within four years — or at any time?

 

2.  Cause of dropping out of High school
an important first step toward understanding your community’s dropout crisis is to establish its extent and location. To do this you need to answer two questions: 
Here are some questions you will have to address in your presentation:
a) which schools do most of the dropouts in your community attend?
b) When and why are students dropping out?
c) How to identify the risk factors or conditions that significantly increase the likelihood of students dropping out of school?
d) Is the dropout population, increasing or decreasing?

3. Proposed Solutions
your role is to propose one or more solutions to save the students at risk. 
Here are some questions you will have to address in your presentation:
a) Is there one solution to the problem, or is it more complex?
b) What is the solution?
c) What agencies must get involved to help solve the problem?
d) What can the average member of your community do to get involved?

4. Feasibility Study
Your role is to evaluate the feasibility of the proposed solution(s). 
Here are some questions you will have to address in your presentation:
a) Is the proposed solution realistic?
b) What are some obstacles to implementing the solution?
c) What can be done to overcome these obstacles?
d) What can the average member of your community do to get involved?

Each member of the group is responsible for contributing TWO-TO-THREE SLIDES to the PowerPoint presentation; the entire presentation should be EIGHT-TO-TWELVE SLIDES LONG. 

Each member of the group will also be responsible for VERBALLY PRESENTING their slides to the class.

Note:  Please keep the text on your slides to a minimum.  Your slides should include compelling visuals; most of the actual information in your presentation should be presented verbally

Use the 6-step Public Policy Analyst (PPA) to assist you in researching your presentation.

1.     Define the Problem

2.     Gather the Evidence

3.     Identify the Causes

4.     Evaluate an Existing Policy

5.     Develop Solutions

6.     Select the Best Solution  (Feasibility vs. Effectiveness)

 

Evaluation
You will be evaluated on the basis of the following rubric in six categories: Graphics, Use of Text Fonts, Sequencing of Information (Presentation Structure), Accuracy of Content, Spelling & Grammar, and Verbal Presentation.

Each category is worth up to four points, so a perfect score for this WebQuest is 24. (A passing score is 16 out of 24.)

You will be graded by the audience for your presentation – your classmates – and by community volunteer, and your teacher.

 

Conclusion
The problem that you have been working on in this WebQuest will require you to develop an understanding of the way the social, and economic elements play a major role in defining an individual’s life.  By this project, you will contribute with your findings to solve this problem.  You will also have the opportunity to improve the following skills: thinking critically, conducting research, communicating clearly, taking responsibility, using technology, organizing information, making decisions, and working as part of a team.

 

Standards

English Language Arts Standards

CCLS W.6.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.

CCLS W.6.4:  Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

CCLS W.6.5:  With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.

CCLS W.6.7: Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and refocusing the inquiry when appropriate.

CCLS W.6.9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

CCLS L.6.2: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

CCLS L.6.3: Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

CCLS L.6.6: Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.

CCLS CCR.1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

CCLS CCR.2: Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

CCLS CCR.3: Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.

CCLS CCR.6: Acquire and use accurately a range of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.