There is a growing concern over low-income students who drop out of high school. Dropping out of high school places teens at a great economic disadvantage right away. But just why do black teens and other low-income students drop out? A new study from the Brookings Institute sheds light on the real reasons!
Working harder is not the problem
Economists used to believe that if low-income students were placed among a great many middle-income students, they would work harder and keep up. But research shows just the opposite. Teen boys, in particular, will reach the point of despair when they are surrounded by peers who are mostly at a higher economic level than they are. The recent study pointed to the states of Louisiana and the District of Columbia. These areas have some of the highest levels of income inequality in the country, but it also results in 25 percent of high schoolers who fail to graduate within four years.
The study also points to states like Vermont, Nebraska, Wisconsin and North Dakota where only 10 percent of low-income students drop out of high school. These states have a lower income inequality.
Income inequality
Income inequality refers to the gap between low-income and middle-income populations. The study clearly shows that the larger the inequality, the greater the dropout rate among black teens and teens from low-income families. Why? It is not that they don't work hard enough. This is proven by the fact that more than twice as many teens in more equal economic areas drop out due to poor grades, but only 21 percent of poor teens in areas of inequality drop out due to grades. The sad truth is that they drop out because they are not convinced it will make a difference. They just give up.
Read more at http://money.cnn.com/2016/03/11/news/economy/low-income-high-school-drop-out/
