I would be very interested in learning what are some of Peter
MacMonagle's research sources on dropouts. Excuse my laziness, but this
seems like an opportunity to get some helpful research info from someone
who's already dug it out without spending a day searching it out on my
own. Thanks to Peter in advance if this is possible.

Jack Glade
The Tutorial Center, Bennington, Vt.

-----Original Message-----
From: workplace-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:workplace-bounces at nifl.gov] On
Behalf Of Peter MacMonagle
Sent: Friday, March 03, 2006 9:04 AM
To: The Workplace Literacy Discussion List; NIFL-WORKPLACE; Poverty Race
& Literacy List
Cc: moderators at nifl.gov; dkpugale at email.uncc.edu;
cwang15 at email.uncc.edu; Mona Baker; lbrannon at email.uncc.edu;
chutchis at email.uncc.edu
Subject: Re: [Workplace] rethinking dropouts reply

To all,
 
One of the reasons students leave high school is an intense
dis-satisfaction with the experience.  Minority students feel trapped in
a system that does not recognize or value their differences from the
dominant culture (predominantly white middle class female
teachers...sorry folks, but that's what research tells us). We also
expect students entering with first languages other than English to
quickly master a language that takes 5 to 7 years to become fluent in.
The increasing rigidity of state and federal mandates to push these
students into standardized testing creates a frustration and sense of
failure native English speakers cannot begin to imagine. Add to this the
lack of self-efficacy, a feeling of powerlessness, and high schools with
4000 studentsas part of the pattern of our willingness to serve the
system instead of the student.
 
Students I have seen in my GED/ABE labs can be bright students who are
fed up with the overall zero-tolerance policies of principals and staff
at schools where the slightest infraction results in suspension.  This
occurence is very high for minority (Read African-American) students. I
suggest we all read A.A.Ferguson's ethnographic research Bad Boys, which
is an account of the treatment of young black males in school, and
Jerome Morris's research, Can Anythong Good Come Out of Nazareth? on
what it takes to capture student interest in minority schools.  Mike
Rose's own account (Lives on the Boundary) of the undereducated in Los
Angles is also full of important insights. There is other research out
there if we wiill but read it. More than that is needed...we need to act
on it.  Empty words are unfullfilled promises.
 
Schools districts are also reluctant to allow research into these
important topics for fear of looking bad. Other districts have in the
past, fudged the numbers in order to hide the true picture of the
problem and the failure to address the needs of the under-educated and
special needs student.  A clear look at the problems and solutions
offered would certainly help.  Imagine engineers refusing to check a
bridge for structural failues for fear you might find something wrong,
or pilots who choose to land some of their passengers and not others.
 
 My conclusion after 15 years in the field of adult education is that in
the current climate, schools are afraid of children and young adults in
high school and keep them in a lock-down situation of marching in unison
to and from class and heavy handed tactics in the hallways to and from
class.  Petty annoyances build up in even the most complliant.  Bright
students who do not conform find themselves out of step with the imposed
restrictions and do not feel frree to find school a friendly place where
they can learn.
 
We also use a one-size-fits-all approach to education and students who
are not interested in going to college are required to sit out endless
days preparing for a life they are not interested in. Count boredom in
for a lage chunk of the reasons for leaving school.
 
The research on those who leave school early is out there. Let's put it
to use instead of using anectodal reports and uninformed newspaper
accounts of what is happening in our schools.
 
Wm. Peter MacMonagle, M.Ed. 
Central Piedmont Community College 
West Campus 2219
Community Development/Workplace Basic Skills 
704-330-4668 
 
Murphy's Law of Possibility: All things are possible 
except skiing through a revolving door. 


________________________________

From: workplace-bounces at nifl.gov on behalf of Donna Brian
Sent: Thu 3/2/2006 11:29 AM
To: NIFL-WORKPLACE; Poverty Race & Literacy List
Cc: moderators at nifl.gov
Subject: [Workplace] rethinking dropouts





This morning on Morning Edition on National Public Radio there was a 3
minute clip about a study on dropouts.

"Morning Edition, March 2, 2006 . A new study from the Gates Foundation
finds that high school dropouts aren't always getting F's on their
report
cards. A surprising number are C or better students, and most say they
regret having dropped out."

The conclusions the study draws are largely about how states and high
schools should rethink what they are doing, but I was wondering what
this
says to those of us who are in adult literacy and the learners we are
dealing with.  I think we often assume that our adult learners failed at
high school and that's why they dropped out.

The clip is worth listening to.  You can access it at
<http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5241173>.

Donna

Donna Brian
Center for Literacy Studies at The University of Tennessee
djgbrian at utk.edu

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