How School Leaders can Help Improve Graduation Rates
The goal of your school district is to educate the next generation of American’s leaders. Much of the success that students will have once they walk out of your high school’s doors after graduation depends on a critical component of the educational process: whether or not they earned their high school diploma. More than ever, today’s employers are looking for entry-level hires who can demonstrate a proven level of academic proficiency, and they are relying on whether or not the student earned their high school diploma as an indicator of intellectual competency.
According to The American Academy:
- 60% of job opportunities in the skilled labor force require a high school diploma.
- Many employers will not consider hiring a candidate that did not graduate from high school.
- Higher salaries are typically available to high school graduates.
- Receiving a high school diploma enables students to pursue additional education, whether it be a vocational school, trade program, a certified work-program, or college.
These facts are no surprise to you or your schools’ leaders, nor are they a surprise to many of your students’ parents and guardians. Why then, do schools across the country continue to see unacceptably high dropout rates? Approximately 25 percent of high school freshmen fail to graduate from high school on time, and more than 1.2 million students drop out of high school in the United States every year—the equivalent of one student every 26 seconds—or 7,000 young people each day.
Despite systemic, socioeconomic, regional, and other factors that impact high school graduation rates, you and your schools’ leaders can make an impact on reducing the rate of dropouts in your district. With a concentrated focus on best practices proven to improve graduation rates, you can hand out more diplomas at the end of every school year—diplomas that may be the key to unlocking bright futures for the next generation of America’s leaders.
Five Strategies to Improve Graduation Rates in Your High Schools
- Teach Students the Importance of a High School Diploma
Students who approach their academics with a “When will I ever need to use this?” attitude are failing to see the long-term implications of how their high school education can enable them to pursue a trade or career in the future. Your students need to understand the value of receiving a diploma to keep them motivated to earn their own. Share the statistics above with your high school students, as well as other critical facts. Students need to understand that high school graduates make an average of $9,245 more per year than high school dropouts and that the U.S. death rate for those with less than 12 years of education is 2.5 times higher than those with 13 or more years of education, according to School Leaders Now.
- Help Students Make a Successful Transition to High School
According to Education Week, research shows that students are more likely to earn a diploma if they do well in ninth grade, which means that helping students make a successful transition from middle school to high school is critical to ensuring students return for tenth grade and ultimately earn a diploma. Work with your faculty to monitor the individual and collective progress of your freshmen, and watch for proven early-warning indicators that a student is at risk of dropping out. Such warning signs include earning more than one failing grade in a core course per semester and not accumulating enough credits to advance to sophomore year.
- Foster a Safe and Positive Learning Environment
Students will be more likely to remain enrolled if they enjoy coming to school every day. A critical component of their enjoyment centers around whether or not they feel safe and supported within school walls. Work with faculty, parents, and your student body to foster a culture of acceptance and support of all students, regardless of race, religion, abilities, and household income. Doing so will allow students to focus on their classroom assignments and will reduce rates absenteeism and truancy.
- Provide Vocation Course Options
While many of your graduates will likely move on to earn a two or four-year college degree, the college experience may not be the right fit or of interest to all your students. That does not mean, however, that those students who do not intend to move on to college after high school do not need to earn their high school diploma. Show students who are not on the college track what other career and skill development opportunities are available to them after they graduate by offering career and technical education courses, either at your school or with local partner organizations or community colleges. Once students find a passion and realize they have the skill and aptitude to obtain their goals, they will be more likely to remain on track to earn the high school diploma needed to pursue a technical or vocational certification.
- Engage Parents in the Process
Research demonstrates that family engagement is the most accurate predictor of a student’s success in school. Encourage parents to remain involved and informed about their child’s performance—whether the child is performing to acceptable standards or is struggling to meet expectations. Send regular communications home regarding grades and the completion of assignments. Enable teachers to hold one-on-one meetings with parents to discuss issues and areas of opportunity, and invite parents on-site to brainstorm strategies for ways that families and the school can work collaboratively to elevate the success of all students. When parents are involved, regardless of whether or not they earned a high school or advanced degree, their child will be more likely to remain focused on achieving their academic goals.
It will take a multi-pronged approach, and the support of all faculty, staff, community members, and families associated with your school district to help improve your schools’ graduation rates. However, when fewer young people drop out of high school, the entire community benefits from higher community-wide buying power, higher-rated schools, and higher property values. Under your leadership and with a committed focus on improving the graduation rates of your district, you will best arm your students with the skills and education they need to chart a successful path for their future.