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Confronting the School Dropout Crisis

Insights and Interventions From a Former Dropout

By: Susan Bowman

Foreword by Jim Rex

Reach out before they drop out

Student dropout rates continue to soar, despite decades of funding, research, programs, and professional development initiatives. This is a wakeup call.

Written by a former school dropout, Confronting the School Dropout Crisis encourages educators and related professionals to discover and explore the sometimes unnoticed reasons that youth drop out of school. With fresh strategies for prevention and intervention, this critical resource includes:

How to reach and recover students who are at risk of dropping out or who already have
Clear, impactful strategies that better engage and positively impact students who are at risk
Moving personal stories from teens and the author

Confronting the School Dropout Crisis invites you to rethink how you address real dropout issues with young people and how to incorporate fresh approaches to better reach and positively impact these students and their caregivers—before it’s too late.

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Product Details

Grade Level: PreK-12
ISBN: 9781071962145
Published By: Corwin
Year: 2024
Page Count: 136
Publication date: November 12, 2024

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Review copies may be requested by individuals planning to purchase 10 or more copies for a team or considering a book for adoption in a higher ed course. To request a review copy, contact sales@corwin.com.

Description

Reach out before they drop out

Student dropout rates continue to soar, despite decades of funding, research, programs, and professional development initiatives. This is a wakeup call.

How to reach and recover students who are at risk of dropping out or who already have
Clear, impactful strategies that better engage and positively impact students who are at risk
Moving personal stories from teens and the author

Author(s)

Susan Bowman

Susan Bowman has an Ed.S. in Counselor Education from the University of South Carolina. She worked as a secondary school counselor, a licensed professional counselor, and social worker specializing in helping troubled teens and their families. She also worked as a Title I counselor for the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice and started a non-profit organization to help incarcerated youth. She has conducted seminars throughout the U.S. and abroad for educators on creative strategies for working with troubled adolescents. In 2005, the GED Testing Service awarded Susan with its highest honor, the Cornelius P. Turner Award, named for the founder of the GED Testing Program. This award is presented annually to a GED graduate who has made outstanding contributions to society in education, justice, health, public service, and social welfare. Susan was co-founder of Developmental Resources, an educational consulting company that provided national and international seminars and conferences. She was also co-founder of YouthLight, Inc., an educational publishing company.

Susan is currently co-owner of YouthHope Consulting, LLC and consults and publishes books on how to work with troubled children and adolescents. She has been interviewed by the Arizona Tribune and the Wall Street Journal and numerous radio stations across the country. Her book on self-injury was recognized in USA Today. She has authored and co-authored more than twenty books and programs. Her memoir, Breaking Free: A Teenage Runaway’s Story of Survival and Triumph, is about her personal journey, which started when she dropped out of eighth grade and ran away from home. By age nineteen, after having her third child, she finally broke free of the toxic relationship with her daughters’ father and had to depend on welfare as her only means of financial support. She struggled as a teen mom to complete her education and make a better life for her and her daughters. With the help of a mentor, she received her GED and then went on to pursue several college degrees. Susan can be reached at sbowman@youthlightbooks.com.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 2: The High Costs of Dropping Out

Chapter 3: The Reasons Students Drop Out

Academic challenges

Disconnection/disengagement

Chronic discipline problem

Lack of school resources/supports

Technology/social media interference

History of chronic absenteeism and truancy

Bullying/school violence

Family mental and/or physical health issues

Peer influence

Substance abuse issues

Language/racial/cultural disparity

Extreme poverty

Pregnancy

Lack of Grit/Resiliency and a Self-Encouraging Mindset

Desire for more personal freedom

Author’s Personal Story

Chapter 4: What We Can Learn From Students

What We Can Learn from Students Who Almost Dropped Out

Insights from Students After They Dropped Out

A Landmark Study

Personal Stories from School Dropouts

Chapter 5: Strategies to Reach Students at Risk of Dropping Out

Addressing Students’ Mental Health Needs

Reaching Students Who Avoid Seeking Out Help from Others

Helping Students Find and Create Connection

Providing Restorative Discipline Practices

Developing and Enhancing a Personal Support System

Small Groups

Student Peer Helping and Mentoring

Home Visits

Encouraging Personal Strengths and Purpose

Starting Early Is Best

Remembering It’s Never Too Late

Peer Support

Author’s Personal Story

Chapter 6: Strategies to Strengthen Dropout Prevention

Chapter 7: Increasing Parent/Caregiver Involvement

Chapter 8: Advice From Former Dropouts

Chapter 9: The Rest of My Story

Other Titles in: Social Justice | School Culture & Climate | At-Risk/Troubled Students

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Related Resources

The Reasons Students Drop Out [Book Excerpt]