Overage students: Quietly quitting & how do we prevent this?
A student withdrew this week, which broke my heart. We were all saddened by this, as he was our guy. We loved being around him. He has the charisma and personality to do whatever he wants to do. He knew it would be impossible to graduate and decided to seek his degree elsewhere. At least, I hope he does.
This scenario is increasing in our schools, and I don’t know the immediate answer.
We all know that kids come to school when positive relationships are created with adults. We had that. We felt like we had support in place, making this more difficult.
I think back to when I was in high school. I wasn’t a big fan of school but went because there was no other conceivable option but to go and graduate from high school. Some of my classmates left our high school to pursue a GED or work instead of finishing college. So, this isn’t a new phenomenon.
A wise man once said, “In education, we do a good job of admiring a problem.”
We have been admiring a dropout problem for as long as I can remember. This blog post is another call for action.
What are we doing differently in 2024 to prevent students from dropping out?
We all agree that students no longer have to attend college straight out of high school. Many students enter the military, attend a trade school, or join the workforce. We once pushed everyone to the college track, and we know only some are ready for college at 18.
The New York recently ran a story called “Has school become optional?” The Washington Post cited that absenteeism exploded from 31 percent before the pandemic to 56 percent currently. We all know that students cannot learn if they are not in class. When students are not in class, they fall behind. The further students fall behind, the closer they come to giving up and dropping out.
Many school districts have programs to help students accelerate their education if they need to catch up. These are excellent programs and options. Many require certain thresholds, possibly passing specific state assessments and earning a required number of credits.
I am speaking about something other than a student who would fit into this mold. I am concerned about the rising number of students who have yet to earn required credits or pass a certain number of state assessments. This rising group of students is quietly quitting. They are floating through our hallways, and it is concerning.
Picture an overage student. This student has limited credits and might be placed in a classroom with two or three years younger students. This student might experience learning loss, a disability, limited language comprehension, and struggles with confidence.
This phenomenon keeps me up at night.
As a high school principal, I am called to ensure all students leave my campus with the skills and tools necessary to succeed. Am I doing that right now? Are any of us? I am also a community member and live a mile from school. My students are also my neighbors. It is for this reason that I am reaching out to my PLN.
If you want to assemble a think tank to tackle this concern, let’s schedule a Zoom and talk. Let’s share resources and brainstorm ideas so that we are truly meeting the needs of all students. I have to imagine that we can do this.
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Last week, Dalhart Principal Scot Wright was tragically killed in a car accident while returning from a basketball game. Scot was a family man, loved his school community, and was active for administrators at the state level. Please keep Scot and his family in your thoughts and prayers.