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School Failure and School Success

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Handbook of Adolescent Behavioral Problems

Abstract

School failure is important worldwide, often leading to under (or unsatisfactory) employment and lower quality of life, too frequently correlated with crime and drug abuse. The incidence varies hugely, up to 100 %, depending on country and subpopulation. The dropout rate in the United States is 10–50 %, depending on when, where, and how it is reckoned, with daily absences at a similar rate. The first line of improvement worldwide is to have sufficient schools and teachers, and adequate community will. In developed countries, many methods of keeping adolescents regularly at school are widely reported but not well evaluated. Issues arise when adolescents find school pointless and leaving attractive. Prevention and intervention programs with the most promise invest in activities that make school attractive and improve specific positive images of the future, whether immediate or in adulthood. This may counteract low self-efficacy related to school events. Strong family support is protective, though not guaranteed to be either sufficient or necessary. A number of large scale school-wide programs have claimed some level of success through comprehensive systems change efforts. Many target specific populations, for example: immigrants, ethnic minorities. Some simple differences, under bureaucratic control, could achieve large effects: smaller secondary schools; start the school day later and extend total hours; put more learning under the control of students.

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Acknowledgment

Partial support for the preparation of this chapter was provided by the University of Auckland College of Science, although no endorsement is implied. Most of the effort for this edition was contributed after hours by the authors.

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  1. Psychology Department, University of Auckland, 10 Symonds Street, Auckland, 92019, New Zealand

    Peter W. Dowrick

  2. 2320 N. Kenmore Ave. SAC 166, Chicago, IL, 60614, USA

    Lindsey T. Back

  3. 1204 Kanawha Blvd E., Charleston, WV, 25301, USA

    Natalie Crespo Mills

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Correspondence to Peter W. Dowrick .

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  1. Child and Family Agency of Southeastern Connecticut, New London, Connecticut, USA

    Thomas P. Gullotta

  2. Value Options, Rocky Hill, Connecticut, USA

    Robert W. Plant

  3. Eastern Connecticut State University, Willimantic, Connecticut, USA

    Melanie A. Evans

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Dowrick, P.W., Back, L.T., Mills, N.C. (2015). School Failure and School Success. In: Gullotta, T., Plant, R., Evans, M. (eds) Handbook of Adolescent Behavioral Problems. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7497-6_21

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