Conclusion, Lessons Learned, and Recommendations
The previous chapter presents the findings of this study regarding demographics of the participants and themes that emerged through deep conversations with participants during interviews. After compiling these findings, this chapter presents conclusions and
recommendations based on this information regarding the following questions asked in this study: The main question of the study is “What lessons are learned from portraits of high school dropouts?” Other important subsidiary questions of the study are:
1. Are elements in the school domain expressed in students’ life stories?
2. What feelings or experiences are expressed through the students’ portraits? What do they reveal about the students’ dropping out?
3. How did these students view themselves in relation to the school during their life stories?
Conclusions
Much of the research of the literature exploring high school dropouts presupposes a deficit perspective regarding dropouts, the deficit being external factors outside of the student (low SES, for example) or internal factors within the student (such as motivation). The results of this study challenge the tendency of defining dropouts in terms of deficits. Participants in this study possess strengths in several areas, such as a long employment history that allows them to live satisfactory lives, a talent or special interest, and strong resilience that empowers them to move toward realizing their future goals. The possession of these strengths by the participants in this study challenges the tendency to define dropouts in terms of elements or factors that they lack.
This study also shows the importance of the acquisition of a high school credential in today’s world. Even participants who have had a satisfactory employment history for many years needed to return to school to obtain a high school level credential to compete in the job market of today. The importance of the high school credential today heightens the responsibility of schools and of school administrators to identify potential dropouts within their schools and make sure these students graduate. It is imperative for school administrators to provide an appropriate spectrum of programs and services to assist such students.
Themes. Several themes emerge from this study. They are: (a) living a satisfactory life
for nearly 20 years yet having to obtain a GED; (b) extremely disturbing conditions at home, occurring even during elementary school years; (c) being sustained by religion; (d) parenthood causing a life change; (e) a talent or special interest that brightened the overall picture; (f) “I wish there would have been a Dr. Help,” and (g) resilience and hope through life.
Among these themes, the most important of them are: extremely disturbing conditions at home, occurring even during elementary school; “I wish there would have been a Dr. Help,” students’ pleas for assistance while they attended high school; and students’ resilience and hope throughout life. The first theme, extremely disturbing conditions at home, even during young students’ years in elementary school, is troubling for several reasons. First, the young student is at serious risk for safety and developmental concerns as well as limitations placed on the students’ academic development. Next, the school’s lack of knowledge or recognition of the students’ plight and non recognition of the students’ daily home environment limits the school’s understanding of the student and how to reach him/her. Finally, this lack of knowledge
illustrates a true disconnect between the student and the school, again limiting a true
there would have been a Dr. Help,” actually shows the students’ pleas for assistance while they attended school. Students who had difficulty navigating through the school day, who needed extra support to achieve academically or needed assistance socially, realized their needs yet felt they had nowhere to turn for help. It is noteworthy that they realized they needed assistance and have actually asked for assistance through a Dr. Help. The third important theme is the
profound resilience and sense of hope that all of the students share about their lives. This is the strength that has accompanied them during difficult and adverse situations, and has promoted their self directed movement toward their futures.
Surprising elements in research. What surprised me as I engaged in the research of this study were primarily three things. First, my difficulty in initially obtaining participants and then in obtaining two interviews with the respective participants, in many cases, was more difficult than I had anticipated. Several participants were difficult to contact, either by phone or even in class, and several left the GED program before the second interview was completed. My second surprise was the power of the portraiture methodology and how much I loved engaging in the process. During our deep conversations, participants’ shared strong feelings of joy, fear, and hope for their futures, as well as relived their past experiences of regret, anger, happiness or resolution. I felt the power of these communications as I transcribed the interview tapes. As I heard their voices, I could visualize each participant, and experience the intensity of his/her feelings. The methodology provided a systematic approach to communicate my and the participant’s experience authentically to the reader. My third surprise was that only one participant [Melissa, who shared that she was “on truancy”] was identified by the schools for special interventional services. All other students attended school, feeling the need of
the school environment through the voices of the participants, I could see that their voices were not being heard, that they were not even recognized. Are the needs of the students being met? The students’ needs are not even known by the school.
How this journey through research has changed my life. What I learned as I experienced this journey into research was that I relived a part of my past during the process, just as the participants had done. My experience in art made the methodology of portraiture in this research come alive and enabled me to get a much larger clearer understanding of these students’ lives. Often when writing a portrait, I imagined how each line, shape, or brush stroke would be done if the work was visual instead of written. I looked at the detailed parts in each portrait, yet considered the whole composition, as I would have if I were completing a painting. Slowly, each portrait came together. My background as a GED teacher and Upward Bound Program administrator assisted me in looking further and deeper as well. As a former GED teacher, I was aware of students’ struggles in academics, challenges with transportation or other issues, and difficulty in returning to school after leaving high school. As an Upward Bound Program administrator, I work to increase students’ opportunity and access to education through college preparation while in high school. I regularly monitor students’ progress and plan and implement strategies and services to assist them in areas of academic and personal growth. In both roles my experience listening to the students and writing the portraits gave me new inner tools.
Limitations and Delimitations of the Study
Several limitations regarding this study are evident. The study is comprised of a small sample that is limited geographically to the one community college. The study focused on only
one community college GED program with morning, afternoon, and evening classes to better understand students’ feelings and experiences at this particular geographic location. The sample during each class session is limited as well, and there is a time constraint placed on the research due to the length of my degree study. Because of the limitations of the study, a generalization from this small sample cannot be made.
A delimitation of the study was that it did not study dropouts who had not returned to school in a GED program. That population of high school dropouts was too difficult to locate.
Lessons Learned: Recommendations From the Study
Based on the study’s findings and conclusions, recommendations are comprised of lessons for school administrators that come directly from the voices of the participants through their portraits. These participants, as high school students, were neither expelled nor recognized by their schools as students with high risk factors for special dropout prevention interventions. However, they were marginalized by their schools, and felt invisible in their school
environments. Despite the marginalization they felt during their school experience, they were anxious to share their voices with me in this study. Their voices, shared in their portraits, provide the basis for lessons for school administrators who currently serve in high schools.
1. Lesson One: There is a real need for a high school credential in the world of work today. Although some participants in this study lived satisfactory lives for many years without a high school diploma, they recently needed to obtain a GED/high school credential to obtain employment.
Recommendation: The creation of a 4-year career exploration program for students who are presently in high school, would engage them in exploring careers and education for their futures, while reinforcing the necessity of a high school credential in today’s world of work. The program would be sequential, and older students would participate in career interviews and job shadowing. Students would research the post secondary education needed for their chosen career paths as well.
My experience as an Upward Bound Program administrator has demonstrated the value in such a career exploration program for students. When engaging in exploration over an extended period of time, during which each year of exploration builds on the next, students have not only gained knowledge about several career interests but have also learned about a chosen major for college or training that supports their career paths.
2. Lesson Two: Students’ varied backgrounds may be comprised of complex conditions or special circumstances. The student must feel that he /she is valued at school when he/she attends.
Recommendation: To provide a school culture that allows students to feel known and valued, a school must create and maintain a positive school climate. Regular two-way communication must be structured between administrators, teachers, and students, as well as parents and the community. Students must feel individually recognized by classroom teachers and staff. In-service training for teachers and staff to enhance communication strategies and to develop and implement a system of communication would promote a positive environment throughout the school.
As a teacher and Upward Bound administrator, I know the value of regular
communication with students and parents, and the necessity of a vehicle to maintain such communication (A regular newsletter, postcards, or phone calls, and a meaningful structure of communication within the school, for example). In-service training in verbal communication can provide valuable insight as well, as teachers and staff strive to enhance their communication with students.
3. Lesson Three: Parenthood may provide motivation for students to continue their education.
Recommendation: To promote students’ efforts to continue in school after becoming parents, the school must provide avenues to address students’ needs. Resources such as transportation, child care, and connection to other resources must be available to parents. Efforts to continue to connect students with regular instruction must be made (such as homebound instruction), as well as career exploration activities. Referral to post secondary education programs must be made, to connect the student with opportunities once he/she completes high school.
As a former GED teacher, many of my students became more engaged with school after the birth of a child. Issues such as transportation and childcare must be resolved for the student to facilitate his/her success.
4. Lesson Four: “I wish there was a Dr. Help. ”
Recommendation: For students who identified a need for more assistance at the school, an aggressive process in the school should be created to identify students who need assistance yet aren’t identified through existing systems and structure. This process would identify students through academic and other indicators, or “risk factors,” to create a dropout prevention program within the school. This recommendation may be
accomplished through in-service training for school administrators, teachers, and support staff which focuses on identification and communication, and a peer mentoring program within the school. Utilization of programs and agencies outside the school to enhance assistance, and communication with students and families would provide additional resources as well.
As an administrator of a TRIO Upward Bound Program, I know the strong partnership that TRIO programs maintain with each high school they serve. These programs serve as a “Dr. Help” to the students they assist. Staff from these programs communicate on a regular basis with the high schools that they serve, and students benefit greatly from program resources.
5. Lesson Five: Some students may only need a small number of credits in order to graduate from high school, while other students may benefit from an academically accelerated program.
Recommendation: A flexible structure within the school should be created to allow students to accelerate in academic areas they excel or remediate in areas they struggle. Such a structure would allow students to enroll in honors or AP level classes for college credit while still in high school, remediate academic areas they need to develop skill, or complete a credit recovery process in order to graduate.
As a former GED teacher, students often told me that they had only one or two credits to complete high school, yet dropped out of school completely because there was no
mechanism to facilitate their completion of the credits they lacked. Some students are ready for more advanced work while in high school. A flexible school structure would serve both groups of students’ needs.
6. Future research: This study promotes future research in several areas: Additional research could be completed to explore the meaning of the arts and resilience, the creation of additional portraits of GED students in different geographic areas could be considered, and linking “Lessons to School Administrators” with school reform initiatives could be explored.
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