CONSEQUENCES OF HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUTS

Credit recovery has been a high priority for the education sector in America for quite a while now. While there has been a lot of debate surrounding the role of online learning in this regard, the importance of exploring all possible options cannot be overstated. Addressing high dropout rates in the United States has always been of utmost importance to federal and state governments, and with good reason too. High dropout rates have a cascading impact on students’ lives. Not only does it dim their future prospects but it also puts the future of our communities and our nation as a whole at considerable risk. The costs associated with this are staggering and can be devastating to any nation’s economy. In terms of financial repercussions and social impact, the effects of a high dropout rate can be extremely detrimental in the long run.Although Online High School has been around for a number of years, it has been propelled into the limelight only recently. There are many reasons for this but the one that stands out the most is its recent adoption to help students with credit recovery. Students without a high school diploma earn fairly lesser than their counterparts who manage to graduate high school and considerably lesser than the ones who graduate college. In fact, students who drop out are more likely to be unable to support themselves and much more likely than college graduates to be unemployed. The resulting impact on taxpayers can be frightening. Research studies indicate a high likelihood of them slipping into poverty from one year to the next. While studies have shown remarkable interest among middle school and elementary school students in terms of graduating high school and going on to college, there are several reasons why they never seem to get there.

REASONS FOR DISENGAGEMENT WITH THE ACADEMICS AND IT’S IMPACT

Many students have reported that as they move through their secondary school experiences, they seem to gradually disengage from their academic pursuits. It is this concern that educators are trying to address with the help of online learning platforms. While personal issues and other priorities may be the reason in a few cases, the most common cause for disengagement has been reported to be boredom or disinterest. There are several disastrous impacts of such disengagement on the part of the students. The financial impact in particular includes the cost of lost income on account of lack of required education as well as costs associated with publicly funded healthcare, prison stays and other services. Moreover, the impact of losing out on possible contributions to our nation’s GDP growth will certainly percolate right down to the grassroots of our nation’s economy.

The costs in terms of lost high school diplomas are just too big to let go and pinning them on something as trivial as boredom is a challenge that can certainly be overcome. Online homeschooling has certainly helped educators make considerable progress in this regard. A closer look at results derived from recently conducted studies reveals that over 60 percent of students who eventually ended up dropping out of high school failed at least 25 percent of their credits in the ninth grade. Based on recent statistics, online learning has certainly proved to be an effective strategy in helping improve overall graduation rates in the country. As per inputs received from guidance counselors, school principals and administrators, the entire process of dropping out is a slow process of increasing disengagement. This common cause of boredom is what most academicians seem to be trying to address via virtual learning environments.

OPPORTUNITIES WITH HOMESCHOOLING

The potential opportunities associated with online homeschooling can be limitless. By studying online, they are provided with access to an extremely interactive platform that allows them to proceed with their course material at their own pace. The flexibility it offers is unparalleled by any other learning solution currently available. It is no wonder then as to why credit recovery has been a major growth area for online education. Such learning environments have been very instrumental in helping students secure the required credits necessary for them to graduate. In fact, helping them secure a high school diploma is just one major functional benefit associated with learning online.

There is absolutely no denying that improving our nation’s overall graduation rate is a critical objective. Parents, educators, policy makers and even politicians will agree with this. In fact, many have even cited this in their campaign speeches. We are currently at a critical junction where any strategy that helps us achieve this particular objective warrants closer attention. Evaluating the potential of online education and the kind of opportunities it presents us is absolutely essential if we are to succeed in our endeavors. Helping our students graduate isn’t just going to benefit them; we stand to benefit from it as a nation too. There are numerous advantages to adopting e-learning as an alternative mode of education. It’s not just in terms of the flexibility but the costs associated with it make it a much more viable alternative. Both parents and teachers have reported positive results with the implementation of online K-12 courses.

Online homeschooling has given a chance of Credit Recovery for the high school dropouts. Students who have taken up online courses either as standalone options or as blended programs along with their regular course curriculum have shown marked improvement in their overall grades. This has been very reassuring especially in cases where parents have been apprehensive towards the entire process of studying online. In addition to the flexibility offered, students and parents are provided with additional benefits such as the convenience of scheduling study time according to their own timetables and elimination of the need to travel. Furthermore, since all communication is carried out online, students and teachers can interact in real-time irrespective of geographic location. Scheduling PTA meetings too, has become extremely easy via the internet. Combine that with other communication options such as email and online notice boards and you have got the perfect platform to stay on top of things. Monitoring your child’s progress on a regular basis has never been easier!