I might be going out on a limb here, but I think we should take a look at the parents that "raise" the kids who drop out. There were plenty of times when I was bored or didn't feel challenged in school but dropping out was not an option for me simply because my parents did not give me that option. I must have missed it when the powers that be decided that school is supposed to be fun.

It seems to me there's a shared responsibility:
excellent and engaging teachers who love what they teach and spread that excitement to their students
a culture (school, family, community, individual) that values education and sees it as a path to a positive futureBoth are easy to say you value, but hard to make happen and I'd argue that both have to be present for success. By that I mean great teachers can't excite students when education is seen (and might actually be) irrelavant to their lives. Also, a student who wants to learn can't without passionate, skilled teachers.

Calvin and a parent:Thanks for contributing. I agree that "valuing" school and education are important.

I wonder Calvin, if we take your last comment a little further though and ask the next logical (at least to me and my logic is, as other point out, often faulty) place and ask if school should in fact NOT be boring. It is possible to engage students by knowing what they are interested in and using the standards to build units that tap into those interests. For example, if you take real world issues and have students read and write about them and then use those things to teach about reading techniques and grammar (just to name 2 things), could you not actually make learning interesting?

Just a thought.

For something to read in every-one's spare time, I strongly suggest "Spectacular things happened along the way". It is possible.

I think 'a parent' summed it up best when this was said "education is seen (and might actually be) irrelevant..." Yes, irrelevant. No student should be able to read, write and think logically and critically. Who needs those skills?

Students may not be able to do the work; or cannot do all that is required. The norm in city schools in my experience is that a number of kids are below grade level. They may need remedial classes which are not available once you get to middle school. Even for special education students. Teaching the curriculum is the rule of law. It is tough to get special help if you are not special education. There is often little support or attention (for school or otherwise) at home for a whole host of reasons. And, for the students who are in better shape academically there learning is disrupted by the other students. The students who tend to fare better are students whose parents are involved with their education. When I worked in an alternative high school; and kids were dropping out right and left, this is primarily what i saw. And, that there was a total disconnect between school and work. Where do the high school graduates from Baltimore City schools go?

irrelevant = having no practical use in your current life or any future that you can invision

A school can work to change this perception through introducing students to different futures than what they might have seen. Partnerships with colleges and professions so that those futures are really possible is just as important. And teachers can change this perception by explaining how what the class is doing will teach them to "read, write and think logically and critically" and exactly how that fairly abstract set of skills relates to what your students say they want for their future.

Almost forgot - the predominant message about writing that seems to be about the only things that kids are told is "this is the way you have to write to get a good score on the MSA which is what is most important to teachers and this school." This isn't a way to show kids why being able to write well is important to them.

Thanks for defending my argument! Irrelevant to read, write or think has no practical use in their lives? The point is statements like "teachers can change this perception" is exactly the problem. Students spend more time with their parents (or should) then teachers. PARENTS are the ones who should be changing the perception of their own children. How can a teacher, who generally teaches a student for 1 or 2 years, change a lifetime of perception? Its not realistic and its not fair! Teachers are supposed to teach; we can not perform everything necessary in a dysfunctional society to cure all the social ills! It is impossible! Outsiders always want to blame teachers for everything. I love teaching, and will sing, dance, run around the class, whatever it takes to get my students to succeed. And in a neighborhood high school, that student success rate might be 50% overall! Here is an actual example: I was discussing a student's future, including college, work, etc. The young lady (9th grader) said "I dont have to worry about any of that stuff. My mother told me just to have a couple of kids like her and they will send me a check every month." Is it realistic to believe a teacher can change that in a year? It does happen and I know many teachers who continue to make the effort. But its not realistic to cure the problems at hand.

I was extremely bored during my entire 7th-12th grade education. However, I understood that education was important and that doing my best was expected of me by my parents and my peers. I try to teach in a way that makes it interesting and relevant to students, but even that isn't always enough. We truly cannot expect things to improve until parents and teachers unite to give students a common message. Until then, we can point fingers as much as we want, but nothing will get better. Even then we have to recognize that there are a lot of outside factors that influence student success - poverty, racism, violence, health (physical and mental), etc. Education doesn't exist in a vacuum.

A bit off-topic, but I figured I'd share this. I think SmallestTwine did something similar (and I don't know if this is really practical but interesting nonetheless), but here's Twitter's official recommendation for using the service in education: http://kesmit3.blogspot.com/2009/04/twitter-experiment-bringing-twitter-to.html.

Concerned Teacher is absolutely correct. The sad truth is that teachers are blamed for society's problems because they are easy targets. It's too hard to tackle the real problem: people who are not fit to have children are doing exactly that, having children.

Everything in school is not and should not be relevent to every student. Some students like math, some like history, some play sports, some play music, some want to be doctors, some want to be construction workers. Most students have classes that they don't want to go to every day and there's nothing wrong with that. In fact, learning to deal with it is a good thing because that's how the real world is.

Again a bit off topic (clearly I'm procrastinating again), but I received this in Mayor Dixon's weekly emailer. What does InsideEd community think about this:

"Baltimore’s Curfew Law states that children under the age of seventeen are not allowed out without an adult between midnight and 6am on weekends and between 11pm and 6am on weeknights. Any child seventeen or under found in violation of this law, will be picked up by the police and brought to the Curfew Center located at the Success Academy, 200 East North Avenue. The Center will then be an access point for critical support services for the child such as the Department of Social Services, Department of Juvenile Services, Baltimore City Schools Student Support Services and Community Mediation. It will also partner with the parents to ensure they have the support needed to supervise their child."

I totally agree with this policy.I was coming home from an event last summer. I went through my school neighborhood and saw 8-13 year olds out on the street at 12:30 AM! No adults. Quite scary to me. My kids always had curfews which of course they hated.however, everyone grew up in one piece and still find stories to tell me that I would really rather not know.My motto? Nothing good happens after midnight!

@Bill and Wise Educator: I agree with the curfew law but would hope that there are allowances for teenagers who may be heading to and from legal employment.I'm sure this policy was meant to dissuade loitering and/or delinquency but, as it is written, it is too general.

@Bill and Wise Educator: I agree with the curfew law but would hope that there are allowances for teenagers who may be heading to and from legal employment.I'm sure this policy was meant to dissuade loitering and/or delinquency but, as it is written, it is too general.

Alrighty Then- you are so right! I can think of many legitimate reasons a teen might be out;work,performances,etc.Hopefully,these kinds of activities will be factored in.

We have had a curfew law in Baltimore City for as long as I can remember. This is nothing new.

I thnk that some people aren't fit to make good parents. They are either finacially unprepared or just can't handle kids. I also agree with the fact that you often have to do things you don't want to and school can help prepare you for that.

I agree that students dropout of school because of boredom. Students have to realize that school is not going to be fun all the time. Teachers put alot of effort in making the lesson interesting. Student have different interests so it will be hard for everyone to enjoy that lesson for that day. Baltimore City have public trades school. So if a student want to go to a school where they are doing something they like, then they should apply to that school. Personally I think school is fun. I like coming to school and learning new things. Students fail to realize that by going to school they are opening up alot of doors in their future. Also highschool students should know that everything is not fun. They just have to learn to deal with it.

I think children do dropout because of boredom .But, some people dropout because they have no home training .Either ,their parents dont care or their parents are not their lives.Unlike me even if i wanted to dropout i would not because they type of mom i have and to make my mom proud of me . i was brought up believing i can do anything if i set my mind to it . But, i have to stay in school to do so.See some parents or gaurdians do not give their children motivation and dont believe in their children they might feel as though they shouldnt have to be in school for nothing. so who can you blame you tell me the parents the teacher or the student? i say the parents because they the ones who should be on there children backs about going to school and do things to motivate their child to stay in school .Also Believe In Your Child.

I feel as though the teachers don't have full responsibilty of the childrens action.Its crazy because the parents are the ones who are blaming the teachers.Parents need to step up and take full responsibilty of there children,Part of it is there fault.The teachers job is to educate the child not to be a parent to them. Its there choice if they want to get involved in there student's personal lives

I agree that people should look at the parents because half of the dropouts has households of trash or no responsibility. So if there parents let them do whatever they want then of course they going to dropout. Especially if there parents give them a opitions to dropout said by Baltimorean and that statement was excellent like in my house my mom gets mad when i bring home a C+ but if she wasnt mad then i would not acheive as much

I think that the students cause themselves to dropout of school period. They feel the need that they want to quit so they are going to quit. They think the work is hard and that they cant do it, that is on them. thers nothing causing the students to dropout of school. They also try to blame it on their parents which is sometimes tree. That should motivate them to try to do their best in school so they can be successful in life. Then, they say alcohol and drugs is the problem to

i feel as if my responses goes both ways because of the simple fact that i do not agree with some of the responses because i dont feel as if it is the teachers and school broads are to blame for some children to drop out of school.I think some children just dont see the point in waiting and sitting in a classroom and learn something that we've been learnig for the last past 4 years.(6th - 12th)but i do feel that some teachers can try to help and to try to give ore help to the students that may in the futre dropout.but i do feel that students should try as hard as they can.

I feel that the dropout rate can't be all put on teachers. Yea we do have some bad teachers in Baltimore City, but it's not all there fault. Students may not be applying themselves or parents may not be forcing their children to get an education. There are also people who don't understand the work,but are afraid to ask for help. School isn't meant to be fun or to entertain. You have school to learn and get an education. Kids may drop-out because school is boring but it's not the right decision. Those parents of those children need to push their kids to at least finish high school and attempt to go to college. As stated in the article" you may not like it but you have to deal with it"!

I agree that people should look at the parents because half of the dropouts has households of trash or no responsibility. So if there parents let them do whatever they want then of course they going to dropout. Especially if there parents give them a options to dropout said by Baltimorean and that statement was excellent like in my house my mom gets mad when i bring home a C+ but if she wasn't mad then i would not achieve as much

The thing I think it is because of boredom and some times people are very smart and are done with work or think the work is to easy and don't do it

i hink the cause for kids droppin out of school is because of the motivation the teachers give them either they give them the work and wants them to do it right the first time, or give them the work and if they dont get it they give up on them and dont look back in thier direction and teach those that they think get the work, also some teachers dont even try to stop the kids from leavin the school and try to get a good education and try to get a carrer tnhat they can keep.

Students dropout for many reasons.I will go over three of my own opinions. First I will say it's not the teachers fault, sometimes it's the enviroment. Like some kids that come from rough neighborhoods and families. Like me for example I come from a rough family. My dad past away when I was 9 my dad past away so I started acting out in school. Now im starting to give up on school and life. So I can relate to what they are going through. Second sometimes the Academics are to challenging for them and nobody there to help them so they go through the process of dropping out. The process is stop doing work then they start acting out then they just give up. Also if people tease them for being dumb it can effect them badly. Finally they drop out because of parents and home enviroment. Parents can effect them by not being there for them and also the home enviroment can effect them by if there not treated right and if there around the wrong crowd that can make them drop out or make a bad decision.

The reason why students drop out is because they dont like school and because the teachers get on their nerves and sometimes its because of the other students. I disagree when they said that "look at the parents that raise the students who drop out", you dont always have to look at the parents who raise them because its not always the parents its sometimes the students. And when they say that the teachers are the blame for it, well their not its just the way the student acts. And another reason they drop out is because bullies are in the school and they sometimes commit suicide just like that 11 year old boy.

The reason that students drop out is because they consider that the work that they were given was just too hard. It's not the teachers that make the students want to drop out, it is just that most students come to school just to play. Just a few come to learn but sometimes the students that come to learn can't learn because of the students that come to school to play. The students that run halls, play in class, and hook school are the ones who always wait to make up. Sometimes they might make it to the next grade, but it would benefit the students more if they just come to class and work then play.

Yeah I think that students do drop out because of boredom. Also people drop out because they have family problems and cant balance both lives and cant keep control. Home life and school life are two different things that people cant always handle. It seems that teachers dont really understand what us students go through in our personal lives. Most students come to school to get way from home lives. School is their place to chill, hang with friends, and be at peace. Teachers expect us to concentrate on school work and push us when all we need is a time to think. When disaster hit's family it is hard to overcome. I know teachers are trying to help us and make us become someone that we want to be, but its more than that.

I agree with the author because I believe that the courses are not challenging enough for the ones who need to be challenged.Therefore they are holding the intelligent children back with the ones who ought not to be challenged, but tutored daily. Students don't see the significance of the classes we're being taught. Students are smarter than what teachers
give us credit for, we need to be challenged more in order to be successful.

I agree because usually the teacher would teach something that nobody would want to learn and have no type of expression in their voice.but i also disagree because i think the real reason is because they don't have nobody to inspire them and they're in an environment with bad influences. peer pressure, bullying, and loss of parents could be the cause for drop outs.

Well boredom is one of the main reasons why people drop out of school, but that isn't the only reason. Peer pressure, being impatient, stress, family reasons, or maybe they found something more interesting to do such as a job.

i think boredom does somtimes make some students to dropout. Not that the work isnt challenging enough it sometimes is because the class isnt very exciting. another reason could be that student(s) could be going through somthing in their personal life or maybe are trying to hold down a job so that they can help their family

First I do believe that most students drop out because of boredom.I think classes that relate more to their lives could help.Some students don't have the guidance from parents or guardians for the "support" to stay in school.Some parents don't just care. Personally as a student I don't want to drop out of school.not because my mother doesn't support me.Its my drive and determination to do something good with my life.Half of the students fail to realize with just a little bit of school could have a huge affect on your life . teachers don't encourage the students.and therefore they give up.teachers and the parents that care need to let their students know,Dropping out isn't the way to get far in life.

I agree with the article in sayig that kids drop out of school because of boredom. I have only been in high school for not even a full year and I have already been thinking about skipping classes, or skipping school all together. However there are classes that I enjoy, because they keep my attention. i feel as though you should get to know the kids you teach and teach them based on interest. because kids dont retain information when you just throw a book in there face

I don't think that boredom is a realstic reason for dropping out of school. School is an enviourment where you can learn and occasionally have fun. School is a place where you can learn communicating skills just by introducing yourself to a new person, so in school learning is all around you from paying for lunch(math) or by giving an oral report(communication skills). So how could a person say that they dropped out of school because of boredom. Theres something exciting in school like sports, electives or just seeing a boyfriend or girlfriend.

The way I that I grew up school didn't have to be fun because it was a requirement. School just can't be made fun for every single person but it is something that we should work towards. If school can not be fun at least teach students the things that they will definitely use. I often hear from my parents say "You'll never really need this." Why waste the teachers' and the students' time with irrelevant information? And yes, I do understand that some things are requirements for the HSA, but why even make them requirements to start with? If students know that what they are learning will without a doubt be used in the real world then they may be more compelled to go to school and STAY in school. This is why I think that we need more vocational schools. This is giving the students the chance to learn what they show an interest in while learning useful and applicable information.

I do believe the most common case kids drop out is because of boredom. For the simple fact that some kids are more challenged than others. So all that stuff about not being challenged is an excuse. If they could just breeze by school with no problem, they wouldn't be complaining. But if this is the case it's more to it. Kids typically drop out for something dealing with money. Schools should provide students with jobs if asked. Some people say school isn't supposed to be fun. Anytime you have the opportunity to make something fun; you do it. Kids tend to learn better under encouragement and fun. (Which is why there aren't any complaint coming from elementary schools) Let us be enthusiastic about coming to school. Some kids get easily discouraged, so I think kids around the same grade level should be in the same class, so adults can stop saying, " we're messing up people who want to learn education." All schools should be school-of-art-type. These type of schools give you a good education, while doing what you love. Just because you're a fun teacher doesn't mean you won't be treated with respect!

what causes students to drop out of school is probably lack of there backgrounds in there families. or the school they go to. because some schools have very bad kids and the distract the kids that want to learn so then the bad kids mess it for the kids that want to learn. and make it so the teachers don't want to teach them and before you know it the good kids that want to learn follow behind the bad kids.so there fore they drop out. and well some cases the drop out cause early parenthood or bad parenthood. that's my response to the article.

I totally agree with the article.I agree because there was many of days i was bored in school and wanted to leave.Then from wanting to leave lead me to not coming at all.Also, "there is a disconnect between what were learning in the classrooms,and what we see is relevant to our lives."Us as students we understand that what we are learning today will benefit us later but we looking for things that will help us now. Because it's a struggle just to make it though the day. So some students don't see the point of coming to school if it's not benefiting them.Another thing said was "that dropouts leave because of personal conflicts such as holding a job."This is also true even though the world say having a single mother home is no longer a excuse;that may be right for some people but not all. As children some times have to make big decisions like work and help feed our siblings,or go to school and hope for a better tomorrow. Next,"Where do high school graduates go from Baltimore city schools."We don't know. Why because haven't been giving the opportunities to see our options of colleges or trade schools."Most students have class they don't want to go to everyday."This is because it so BORING."In fact learning to deal with it is a good thing because that's how the real world is."The statement is so true because if we cant learn to deal with these things now,we will never be able to survive in the real world.

Well, I was glad to see that students voice their opinions about the drop out rate and they all have valid reasons.
There is not just one reason why a child drops out and that is something that is not really being dealt with to a further extent that schools could do to prevent it.
There are children who begin not coming to school during their early years and more than not they will probably drop out by the middle of their 8th grade season.
We as a community and as schools do not want to always admit that we have failed our kids (not all) in the way we react to grades, attendance, curfews and especially truancy in Baltimore City.
Thank you MATHS for your input and I hope that other students from other schools will be given the opportunity while in the computer lab to do the same on issues that they feel strongly about on this blog.

So students say that boredom is the major reason for dropping out and classes should be more challenging. Teachers can make classes more challenging, however, will students step up to the plate and meet that challenge he on. One of the first things that students must do is be prepared for class. That means they must read their assignments proir to class so that they can participate in class. Example: If there is a discussion many of the students will become spectators because they are not prepared. Another example, if there was something in the reading assignment that you didn[t understand, if you read your assignment your would be able to ask your teacher to clarify it for you. I can give other other examples. Something that I thing students ar struggling with, is there ability to read and comprehend what they have read. Students are not skillful enough to summarize what they have read, but instead copy directly from texts word-for-word. I have been in classed were the teacher has asked students to read a passage and as another student to paraphase what was read and the student shrugged his or here shoulders. You can say to a student lets do this, but they must assist in following through with their part.

@PDJJR, you are correct. Students need to look at education as participatory. We need to change the idea of "getting an education" to that of "earning an education". Making lessons more rigorous will do no good unless the students are prepared and willing to push beyond their self-imposed limits.

I am an educator from Missouri and first became a fan after reading your helicopter parent article. I have quoted you often!

As educators, it is our responsibility to provide a rigorous, relevant curriculum for kids that is engaging and challenging. As parents/guardians, there is a responsibility to insist that children attend school. This expectation must begin early and continue throughout a child's school career. Together, educators and parents MUST work together throughout the child's years in school. If a parent has a bad attitude and relationship with a school, the child will also. If teachers have high expectations of their students, children will live up to those expectations. The key is communication and working together.

Thank you for your gift of writing! A fan.

i believe students drop for more than just boredom is got to be more behind that im a student at Raytown High and i have thought about dropping out pleanty of times because people always wanted to fight me or things didnt go the way i wanted some teachers are mean and much more so sometimes its not the parents it the enviorment their in.*