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Low Income Students and Graduation Rates

High school graduation rates in the United States are not ideal.  The national high school graduation rate in U.S. was 88% in the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 school years (Kerr, 2021).  This average however is not reflective of all geographic locations or student demographics.  For example, Arizona had the lowest high school graduation rate of only 75%, while Iowa and Kentucky each had a rate of 94% (Kerr, 2021). Furthermore, other demographics of students have lower graduation rates, especially minorities and students with unique cultural challenges. According to the National Center for Education Statistics [NCES] (2019), American Indian and Alaska Natives had the lowest graduation rates at 73.5%, with Black students at 79% and then Hispanic at 81%.  Other noted demographics included students with disabilities averaged at 67.1%, students with limited English proficiency at 68.3%, and economically disadvantaged students at 79.5% (NCES, 2019).  Low-income students and other minority groups have been a population of interest for researchers exploring graduation rates and post-graduation success.  Several strategic recommendations have been made by researchers for how to raise graduation rates for low-income students.

Many researchers recognize that there are links between graduation rates and socioemotional attributes in students.  Clark and Shi (2020) focused on seven socioemotional attributes related to academic success and graduation rates: “grade retention, absences, tardies, delinquency, self-esteem, substance use, and expectations” (p. 1).   In this study, certain demographics were found to experience some of these socioemotional attributes more than others. For example, low-income White girls were found to have higher usage of alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs than Black girls, which was associated with an eight to nine percent difference in graduation rates between these two demographics (Clark & Shi, 2020).  Based on this finding, the authors recommended that programs aimed at improving graduation rates must also focus on some of these socioemotional attributes and behaviors, which have been found to be associated with academic failures and dropouts, especially with low-income students.

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Some programs have been created to help with schools serving primarily low-income communities.  In many cases these urban schools are failing and have large percentages (more than 20%) of students who do not meet state requirements. The Obama administration began a program to turn these schools around and bring them up to standards. These schools, known as “turnaround schools”, are almost exclusively serving students from “low-income backgrounds facing immense educational and non-educational barriers” (Hines et al., 2020, p. 218). With so many systemic issues in these schools, some researchers recognize the need for school counselors to address systemic change and population advocacy, rather than an emphasis on the one-on-one counseling.  School counselors can collaborate with other educational stakeholders to devise inclusive and comprehensive counseling curriculums to best serve the population. Effective school counselors focus on student empowerment, systemic advocacy, inclusive community collaboration, and strategic counseling interventions (Hines et al., 2020).  For these low-income schools, investing into quality professional counselors may be a strategic solution to raising graduation rates for low-income students.

In addition to focusing on socioemotional attributes of students and addressing those attributes through effective counseling, there have also been other programs that have been found effective in raising graduation rates for low-income students.  Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) schools have been shown to increase graduation rates for racial minorities and low-income students (Saw, 2020).   There are several theories as to why extracurricular programs like this are helpful.  First, since students are exposed to higher level math and engineering concepts, they may be more apt to participate in advanced level courses and strive to attend college based on their career passions and interests. These inclusive programs give low-income students exposure to career fields that they may never have been exposed to previously.  Another theory as to why these programs are effective is that many programs do not have open-enrollment admissions policies and require minimum credentials to be accepted.  In most cases STEM programs do not require such credentials, giving low-income or poor performance students a chance to participate.  This inclusion may increase self-esteem and confidence to explore new academic areas (Saw, 2020).  Giving low-income students opportunities to participate in various activities may spark their interest and help them to be academically motivated.

https://youtu.be/5GWhwUN9iaY

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By June 9, 2022, the graduation rate of high school students in 12th grade from low-income families will increase by 60% and drop-out rates will decrease by 4%.

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American School Counselor Association. (2019a). ASCA national model: A framework for school counseling programs (4th ed.). Alexandria, VA: Author.

Clark, B., & Shi, Y. (2020). Low-income female students and the reversal of the black-white

gap in high school graduation. AERA Open, 6(2). doi: 10.1177/2332858420915203

Hines, E. M., Moore, J. L., III, Mayes, R. D., Harris, P. C., Vega, D., Robinson, D. V., Gray, C.

N., & Jackson, C. E. (2020). Making student achievement a priority: The role of school counselors in turnaround schools. Urban Education, 55(2), 216–237. doi: 10/1177/0042085916685761

Kerr, E. (2021, April 28). See high school graduation rates by state. U.S. News & Word Report.

https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/articles/see-high-school-

graduation-rates-by-state

National Center for Education Statistics. (2019). Table 1. Public high school 4-year adjusted

cohort graduation rate (ACGR), by race/ethnicity and selected demographic characteristics for the United States, the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico: School year 2017-2018. Common Core of Data. https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/tables/ACGR_RE_and_characteristics_2017-18.asp

Saw, G. (2019). The impact of inclusive STEM high schools on student outcomes: A statewide

longitudinal evaluation of Texas STEM academies. International Journal of Science & Mathematics Education, 17(8), 1445–1457. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1007/s10763-018-09942-3

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Community Leaders: Develop early intervention programs and Mentoring program. Early intervention can make such an impact on a student's achievement later in years.

Parents: Will reinforce positive behaviors and give the student support and encouragement. The parents will report  any disinterest of school from the student immediately to the school counselor.

School Administrators: Build a trusting relationship with the goal of increasing student success at the school.

Teachers: The teachers will be aware of any signs of disengagements from students and report it immediately to the school counselor for individualizing interventions.

School Counselors:  Stay connected to the student and their families.The school counselor , teacher and parent(s) an collaborate to develop methods for dealing with the student's personal and academic challenges The goal here is for the student to stay connected to a network of caring individuals, keep a positive attitude , and resolve any issues that might hinder the student from graduating.

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(MINDSETS)
M3: Positive attitude toward work and learning.
M5: Belief in using abilities to their fullest to achieve hugh qualities results and outcomes.
M6: Understanding that postsecondary education and life -long learning are necessary for long-term success.

(Behaviorals)
B-LS3: Time-management,organizational and study skills
B-SMS 4: Perseverance to achieve long-and short-term goals.
B-SMS 7:  Effective coping skills.
B-SS 9: Social maturity and behaviors appropriate to the situation and environment.