Annotated Bibliography

Annotated Bibliography for Dropout Rates

Boyd-Zaharias, J., & Pate-Bain, H. (2008, September). Class Matters -- In and Out of School. Phi Delta Kappan, 90(1), 40-44.

This article discusses the effect of socio-economic class on students and how this in turn effects education. It begins by describing the idea of a self-actualized society, then lays out the needs in hierarchical format and details why we have fallen short of this goal in the United States. It states that in addition to improving schools, we must also improve the lives of students in general. Requirements outside of school involve affordable housing in stable neighborhoods, a living wage and health-care benefits. Changes in the school system include smaller classrooms and improved instruction. The article also lists three “inconvenient truths” that must be addressed: growing social inequality, school inability to close the gap independently, and the high expense of improving the current status.

Marquez-Zenkov, K., Harmon, J., van Lier, P., & Marquez-Zenkov, M. (2007, September). If they'll listen to us about life, we'll listen to them about school: seeing city students' ideas about 'quality' teachers. Educational Action Research, 15(3), 403-415.

This article examines the quality of urban education from the perspective of city students. It states that the current dropout rate reflects the poor opinion that residents hold of urban education. By collecting snapshots and writing samples from students and requesting their view on teacher efficacy and instructional methods, the study attempts to highlight problems and identify potential solutions to this lack of relevancy. Students describe their daily lives, how school relates, and areas that they feel could use improvement. The article lists several ways to bridge the divide between the educational system and local needs, including the formation of caring networks, understanding student lives, and teaching beyond language and literacy barriers.

McNeil, L., Coppola, E., Radigan, J., & Heilig, J. (2008, January 30). Avoidable Losses: High-Stakes Accountability and the Dropout Crisis. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 16(3), 1-45.

The use of high-stakes accountability testing and its possible detrimental effects on low-performing students is addressed in this article. The test scores in schools in urban areas in states such as Georgia, Massachusetts, New York, Texas were compared to the drop-out rates for these schools. It was found that in some instances, larger improvements between grades corresponded other factors. These factors included increased grade retention and an increased dropout rate. The former has been linked to the latter. The specific data is derived from one Texas school. The article displays the incongruity that leads to an increased dropout rate for minority students. It also describes the process and reasoning for retention, and describes the psychological effect of this on students. It links family life of minority students to school achievement, and attributes grade retention and drop-out rates to the impact of high-stakes testing.

The following article is less about drop-out rates, and more about preparation for teaching in urban schools.

Chultz, K., Jones-Walker, C., & Chikkatur, A. (2008, March). Listening to Students, Negotiating Beliefs: Preparing Teachers for Urban Classrooms. Curriculum Inquiry, 38(2), 155-187.

This article discussed some of the challenges that new teachers face in urban classroom. It mentions that teachers must learn to take a “listening stance” and be prepared to learn from their students as they teach, and modify accordingly. The article further goes onto describe some of the negotiating that occurs as a teacher prepares lessons. This is an integration of the students’ needs and backgrounds, the teacher’s ideas and training, and the community and district’s standards and expectations. It describes the process of trying to attend to each student individually in a diverse environment while attaining balance in a classroom. Overall, the message is that a “one size fits all” curriculum should be avoided, and that teachers must implement modifications in their classrooms.

Wise, B. (2008, May 1). High Schools at the Tipping Point. Educational Leadership, 65(8), 8-13. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. EJ796363)
Here is the link to this article.


Students today are inadequately prepared to enter the current workforce. This article states that high dropout rates and poor academic skills are a national crisis that disadvantages the United States in the global economy. Specifically, the article targets secondary school instruction, mentioning the discrepancy between the strong push for achievement in elementary and middle schools compared to high schools. The article mentions that our school system was intended for a different era, where further education was not required to embark on career paths. Reform options such as tailoring curriculums to fit college, careers, and individual needs, and the use of technology are suggested. Also addressed are the need for the federal government to commit to education, and the reauthorization and reform of NCLB.
The article did mention many critical factors, and broadly addressed some key issues. It provided figures for cost regarding potential earnings associated with various education levels and the cost to society of each individual who fails to meet standards. It cites historical data, such as the push by the federal government for better science and math education in response to Sputnik, and links it to the current global situation. The information is pertinent and gives an idea of the scope of damage caused by inadequate education. It specifically mentions the selective cost to minority students, who are more prone to be at the low end of the reading and math scale and more likely to drop out.
My one complaint involved the mention of NCLB. While it is fairly obvious that this article comes from a biased viewpoint, the author mentioning a personal history of political origin and educational reform, most of the article seemed devoted to pushing for a new system. Yet no mention was made of new standards for evaluation. Aside from our disproportionate number of college students in need of remedial courses and poorly prepared graduates, academic skills were not specifically mentioned. Perhaps the author was implying the need for complete restructuring, but I was left questioning what exact solution was intended. Overall however, this was an informative overview.