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EDUCATION AND DROP -OUT PREVENTION 4 <br />(NOTE: Information from both school systems is incomplete. <br />Additional information is forthcoming and will be provided in <br />the final report.) <br />PROBLEMS /ISSUES /GAPS <br />- Significant factors making the likelihood of school drop -out <br />higher are: <br />- Families are in lower social- economic groups <br />- Students' parents dropped out of school <br />- Students not curriculum focused <br />- Students mentally retarded or learning disabled <br />-The shortage of support staff in early grades makes early <br />assessment and monitoring of at -risk students very difficult. <br />- Parental involvement in early and middle grades is crucial in <br />order to address home /school problems. Beyond middle grades <br />parental communication with schools assists in monitoring <br />at -risk students. <br />- Nan - academically oriented students have difficulty adjusting to <br />junior high school, perceive themselves as different from <br />college -bound students, and tend to drop out of learning in <br />middle school and out of school at age sixteen. <br />-The age for leaving school may need to be increased to age <br />eighteen. <br />- Students are experiencing increasing stress in academic, <br />social, emotional, and home areas, resulting in fewer hours of <br />structured classes daily., <br />-Many high school drop -outs are unable or unmotivated to <br />complete their education. Common reasons are no <br />transportation, no support services, and no day care for <br />infants of adolescent parents. <br />- Competition for funds is high for all groups, especially for <br />special education students. <br />STATUS RECOMMENDATIONS /STRATEGIES <br />l.Evaluate need for more vocational and employability skills <br />in middle and high school. <br />angoing Two new vocational classes were added to the Orange <br />County middle schools curriculum in fall 1990, and high - <br />risk students not eligible for Federally - funded programs <br />have been targeted and encouraged to take these courses. <br />