Too many kids are not Completing School

High school graduation is one of the most important indicators used by educators and government to measure the success of children in our schools. Disturbingly, results show there are far too many children who don’t make the grade.

The most critical failing, so far as the system is concerned, is the graduation rates of children in care. Only 21 per cent of these children graduate, compared with 78 per cent of the general population. Even those in care who do manage to graduate seldom go on to post-secondary education, as only seven per cent acquire the necessary prerequisites.

These findings were released earlier this year in a joint report by British Columbia’s Representative for Children and Youth, Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, and the Office of the Provincial Health Officer, Perry Kendall. The report was the second of four investigating the health and well-being of children in care. It assessed 32,000 such children between April 1997 and November 2005.

Children in care can present very special challenges, the report found. 51 per cent of children in care have special needs, compared to 8.4 per cent of children in the general population. Also, there are far too many First Nations children in care. One in seven aboriginal children ends up in care at some point in their lives, compared with fewer than one in 50 non-aboriginal children.

Of course, it’s not just kids in care who need help. Many children in the general population also present issues and challenges that the standard school system just can’t meet.

High School Graduation is Critical Milestone
There’s a good reason why high school graduation is important. Social science researchers describe this milestone as “critical to later mental and physical health” and recent research demonstrates substantial relationships between dropping out of high school and negative outcomes. These include teen pregnancy and substance abuse.

We can’t blame our teachers and schools for the problem. Many of the kids that need the most help just can’t fit into a normal school environment. Some are violent, others are disruptive. Most just can’t cope with the demands.

Focus Programs are Effective
The Focus Foundation’s Youth Futures program can help many children with issues or problems that are chronic, broadly interlocking, and complex. These are kids who may also have mental health issues, backgrounds of abuse or trauma, Fetal Alcohol Disorder, Attention Deficit Disorder, learning disabilities, drug or alcohol addictions, criminal justice involvement and family problems.

The Focus Whytecliff Agile Learning Centres can also help many youths, aged 12-19, who have dropped out of school, been excluded or expelled, or have difficulties that the public system is just not equipped to handle.

Currently there are only two Focus facilities in BC— in Langley and Burnaby — but they are only able to serve approximately 200 children every year, compared with the demonstrated need for more help across a province of 4.1 million people. Clearly, we can do a great deal more in British Columbia to meet these challenges.