graphic for 6 Policies Practices that Lead to Higher Dropout RatesIDRA identified six school policies that lead to higher dropout rates as outlined this infographic:

  • Exclusionary Discipline
  • In-grade Retention
  • Low Funding and Insufficient Support for English Learners
  • Unfair and Insufficient Funding
  • Watered-Down, Non-College Prep Curricula
  • Testing that is High-Stakes

See related article: How the Pandemic May Impact School Policies and Practices that Lead to Higher Dropout Rates, by Christina Quintanilla-Muñoz, 2022. See the related press release (2016).

6 Policies and Practices that Lead to Higher Dropout Rates

Exclusionary Discipline

Exclusionary discipline does not make schools safer. Suspension and other exclusionary discipline practices are linked to a higher likelihood of dropping out or not graduating on time. Students of color, particularly Black students, are disproportionately subject to exclusionary discipline practices. Pushing students out of the classroom only halts their learning.

In-grade Retention

Retained students are 11 times more likely to drop out. Despite good intentions, grade retention is inherently discouraging to children. Students who are retained do not receive long-term benefits and usually perform more poorly than low-achieving peers who were not retained. Students of color and students from low-income families are more likely to be held back than their peers.

Low Funding and Insufficient Support for English Learners

English learner students are among the most likely to drop out and to be unprepared to go to college. They are the fastest-growing segment of students, but they are one of the lowest academically performing, and the achievement gap widens as students progress through school. Bilingual education is typically significantly underfunded, and few of their teachers are fully certified.

Unfair and Insufficient Funding

To be effective, schools must have quality teaching and rigorous, up-to-date curricula. Schools depend on fair funding to serve all of their students each school day. Equitable funding makes a difference. In Texas, for example, poor school districts have had attrition rates that were more than double those of high-wealth districts.

Watered-Down, Non-College Prep Curricula

Expectations of students’ abilities to succeed are vital to their education. For example, students whose parents have not gone to college are themselves three to six times more likely to enroll in college if they’ve taken rigorous higher math courses in high school. One district took high expectations district-wide by considering all students college-material and teaching them accordingly. They cut dropout rates in half and increased college-going rates.

Testing that is High-Stakes

Testing is a piece of a larger pie to ensure schools are educating all students. It should guide instruction, inform school improvement and identify student support needs. But one test should never be used as a sole criterion for high-stakes decisions about students (in-grade retention, diploma denials or state takeovers). Multiple factors impact achievement, such as the characteristics of the community, such as low-wealth status and students of color, do not excuse schools’ poor performance.

Share