The American Public Health Association is committed to reframing school dropouts as a public health concern. It is because inequalities in education reflect inequalities in health outcomes. Promoting education and the consequent reduction of health inequalities could save eight times more lives than medical care. However, overcoming the diverse series of explanations why students leave school is not a small task. In 2015, almost 13 percent of people 18 years of age and older in the US had less than a high school education. From this post, you will learn about the importance of SBHCs in preventing dropouts.
What is School-Based Health Care (SBHC)?
The SBHC is a student-oriented health center. It’s either in or next to campus. Here, students may access comprehensive physical, mental, and other health services.
School-based health services approach health and education as two sides of the same coin. It encourages students to remain in school and excel emotionally, physically and psychologically. This will improve long-term fitness, job prospects and financial security.
The present situation of Dropouts
The percentage of adult populations with less than a high school education in 2015:
- Hispanic — 44 percent;
- American Indian/Native Alaskan —21 percent;
- Black — 15 percent;
- Asian — 13 percent;
- Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander — 12 percent;
- White — 8 percent.
Here, we can easily see the racial and ethnic differences in educational attainment.
In 2014, 43% of states fell below the national average of 82% for graduation within four years. And they were 73% below the Healthy People 2020 goal of 87%.
A fact could be more worrying. Low graduation rates have been identified overwhelmingly among Black, Hispanic, and American Indian/Native Alaskan students and particular school districts.
In a 2004 report, Robert Balfanz referenced the institutionalization of the dropout. The term ‘dropout factories’ was coined as a result. Because almost 80% of high schools with the highest percentage of dropouts were concentrated in only 15 states at the time. So, 33 percent of the population is in the South.
In 2013-2014, the states with the lowest graduation rates were concentrated in the Southeast and West. But, school districts with the lowest graduation rates have spread across the US.
Disparities in graduation rates also occur across high-performing states. The graduation rate for black students in Wisconsin was 66 percent in 2014. But the overall graduation rate in that state was 89%. The rates for Hispanic students in Massachusetts were 69%, compared to 86% overall. And the Indians/Native Alaskans in South Dakota were about half as likely to graduate (47 percent). But the average graduation rate in that state was 83%.
Racial and ethnic minority students are more likely to stay with their grades than white students. Black students are suspended more than double the amount of white students. Grade continuation, dismissal, and expulsion are primary markers of school dropout.
Lower levels of schooling can influence health through a cascade effect. They include jobs, earning power, prison, etc.
Outcomes of Dropout
Those workers who had less than a high school diploma in 2016, had:
- Higher unemployment. It is 2% and 5% more than high school and college graduates, respectively
- An annual salary is more than 25% smaller than that of high school graduates. And it’s about 60% lower than college graduates.
- A higher poverty rate of 27 percent compared to 14 percent for high school graduates. And college graduates’ poverty rate is less than 5%.
There is a significant impact of educational attainment on the individual, community, and national disparities in economic and health outcomes. So, policymakers have initiated some systems changes to close the achievement gap. These include:
- Improvement of the school environment and cultural maturity
- Enhancement of curricula and teaching
- Provision of supplementary services for at-risk pupils and instructors
Preventing the dropout situation
Overall, graduation rates have risen by 1% annually since 2010–11. The graduation rate is now 82%. The US graduation rate is still below the Healthy People 2020 target of 87%.
The pace of change has also progressed differently by minorities and through geography. And most of the programs did not mention socioeconomic determinants of wellbeing. These determinants also have an effect on graduation. If interventions do not focus on the greatest barriers to graduation, the problems will remain. These include:
- The high cost of disparities in education and health
- Teen pregnancy
- Absenteeism
- Delays in development due to persistent stress, sickness, poverty, malnutrition, and homelessness
AN EXPANDED ROLE FOR SCHOOL-BASED HEALTH CENTERS IN PREVENTING DROPOUT
Through design, SBHCs can easily prevent the health aspects of the dropout. Chronic absenteeism was identified as a key cause. Almost one in four minority students miss three or more days of school per month. It’s according to the 2015 survey. In addition to the obstacles set out above, there are other causes of absenteeism. These include transit, drug use, school safety, and neighborhood attitudes to education.
SBHCs can play a significant role by providing a number of services. These include:
- Vision and oral health care
- Chronic disease management
- Behavioral health counseling and treatment
- Harm reduction counseling and referrals
- Primary preventive health care services
- Nutritional counseling
Mental wellbeing therapy reduced absenteeism by 50% within two months. It’s according to some reports. And involvement with the SBHC raised the retention of black male students three times as much as among students who were not participating in the SBHC.
Teen marriage and childbirth greatly raise dropout rates. 50% of young moms graduated from high school. But 90% of girls graduate who don’t give birth as a teenager. SBHCs provide sexual and reproductive health care. This includes screening, testing, and evaluation of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. They’re still distributing contraception. This is a brilliant effort in preventing dropouts.
SBHCs will also support all school students by addressing obstacles to learning and graduation. These obstacles include school crime, poverty, and so on.
SBHCs are a trustworthy agency in the school building. They can therefore uncover the sensitive difficulties and barriers that students face. These barriers have an effect on their desire to concentrate on learning. SBHCs will use this perspective to resolve inequalities in social determinants of health. For example, SBHCs will measure school-wide patterns by creating and executing a needs assessment with student groups, teachers, and employees. Activities and services will also be added to the classroom.
These include:
- Cultural awareness and development for staff and students
- Safe school ambassadors
- Youth leadership development
- Mental and physical health services
- Counseling and mediation
- Social services
SBHCs may also recommend policies and processes that focus on:
- Targeted multi-dimensional support for retained students
- Anti-bullying and discrimination
- Improved access to healthy foods
The Bottom Line
This article focused on dropout and SBHCs role in dropout prevention. SBHCs have a holistic approach to optimizing the general wellbeing of each student. At the end of the day, SBHC’s improvements in student wellbeing and academic achievement, along with strategies to support neighborhood wellbeing, will ensure that students remain in school, graduate, and succeed as healthier adults.
