Graduation Coach
Dropout Prevention Coordinator
Why does high school graduation matter?
Completing high school on time—meaning graduating in four years or less—is critical for student success. Attaining a high school diploma is a necessary step in the transition to either college or gainful employment. Delays in completion, as a result of being held back or a break in enrollment, are associated with much higher risks of eventually dropping out.
On average, people who drop out of high school earn $8,000 less per year compared to high school graduates. National census data also shows non-graduates are less likely to be regularly employed, more likely to engage in criminal activity, and tend to live shorter lives.
Earning a high school equivalency credential, like the GED, is not the same as a high school diploma. Compared to high school graduates, individuals with a GED also earn less in the job market and are less likely to go to college.
But high school graduation isn't just an indicator of academic knowledge or future salary. It is an excellent measure of an individual’s capacity to stick with a task and other soft skills that may be harder to quantify. As adults, people who graduate high school tend to report more overall life satisfaction, better self-esteem, and engage in less sensation-seeking and high-risk behavior than non-graduates.
Then Why do students drop out?
Attendance issues are repeatedly the most frequently cited reason for a student dropping out, accounting for almost half (45.7%) of all NC dropouts in 2018-2019. The second and third most widely reported dropout reasons were “unknown” at 9.3% and “lack of engagement with school and/or peers” at 8.95%.
Most teenagers don’t generally wake up one morning and suddenly decide to quit school. Instead, there is a multitude of things that over time could lead a student to decide the costs of staying in school outweigh the benefits. A report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists many factors that play a role in the decision to drop out. These include low acceptance of authority, social and economic background, and a history of poor academic performance. Mental illness may also cause some students to perform poorly or drop out of school. Issues like anxiety, low self-esteem, and depression are likely to interfere with a student’s ability to cope, and that can make academic success even more challenging. Unfortunately, research shows that those who drop out of high school are more likely to experience ongoing mental and physical health disorders throughout their life.
So What does a graduation coach do?
The answer varies from day-to-day. Technically, my job is to provide assistance to all students, individually and in groups, regarding high school graduation and completion, including but not limited to: analyzing data to identify students or subgroups with a potential of not graduating on time; identifying and resolving barriers to graduation; and developing and implementing individual intervention strategies to increase the likelihood that these students will stay in school and graduate.
On a daily basis, some of the ways this could look include: meeting with students who are failing to review their high school graduation plans, accompanying students transitioning between schools, checking in with students (and their parents/guardians) when they’re absent, developing attendance contracts, making sure students have reliable transportation to school, advocating for student resources within the community, collaborating with school and district administrators to enhance student support services, and linking local social agencies with youth who are at risk of not graduating.
So if you are a student who is thinking of dropping out, or if you are concerned about a specific student, please let me know. Over the years, I've known a lot of people who regretted dropping out of high school, but I've never met one who regretted graduating!
