Dropping Out: Cause and Effect

Dropping out of high school is an issue faced by many teens today. It results from a few main common causes, one is often a lack of involvement in extra-curricular activities. Another revolves around the parents not being forceful in demanding that their children commit to staying in school. A third cause is the absence of effort exerted by students to be successful in their studies.

Why do teenagers lose their interest in school? When students are not successful with their studies it often starts a negative downward spiral in their commitment to school. When they feel less positive about school they generally are less interested in extra-curricular activities - sports, music, and clubs. For many students, it is their success in extra-curricular activities that fuels their desire to remain in school. If students have no success in either academic or extra-curricular activities they have no incentives to go to school. Consequently, they have no attachment to their school.

Too many parents are not firm enough with their children and their education. Parents fail to impress upon their children the importance of remaining in school and that dropping out is detrimental to their future. Sometimes teens drop out because of a lack of fear instilled into them by their parents; many teens have little or no parental supervision. Coupled with a lack of communication skills between parents and teens, the result can be a lack of involvement with school.

There is an absence of effort put forth by many of today's students. They seem quite lackadaisical and have no discipline when it comes to their studies. Continual failure is often a prescription for tremendous overload and stress. It tends to amount to the self-fulfilling prophecy of dropping out; which may feel like their only escape.

It can be prevented however. Selling teens on the benefits of staying in school requires continual effort and a great expenditure of time. Parents have to be more in tune with their children's needs and desires and be willing to help them cope with their troubles. Parents must be more forceful in encouraging their teenagers to remain in school, but teens themselves must take the initiative to accept responsibility for their future and they must put forth more effort into their studies. Students' successful involvement in extra-curricular activities is beneficial in raising their self-esteem. These methods of prevention may seem excessive but