Understanding the Results – 4/9/25 (Late Blog for Last Week)
Sophia L -
Hi Everyone! Long time no blog, sorry for the delay.
This past week I was able to travel to Atlanta for a scholarship trip to the Coca-cola headquarters where I was able to meet 149 other high school seniors who are passionate about change making! That being said, I was unable to work on my senior project for the second part of the week, and this blog post is delayed, covering content from last week and the week before. I will make another blog post for this week.
While I had less days to work last week, I put in more work in the first half, and I am proud to share that after many hours of tuning, my model has started to produce results! I will talk more about the actual dropout rate prediction on the next post, but today I want to talk about the factors that my model identified to be the greatest predictors of high school dropout. The model found that the predominant variables that impact high school dropout were shown that students of color (by race), students with disabilities (by disability status), male students (by sex), students in low-income household (by household income), institutionalized students (by living quarters), students spoke language other than English at home (by English speaking ability), and students born outside of US (by immigration status) are more likely to drop out.
Now, let me explain what research I found that explains this a little bit more. Race plays a significant role in dropout rates due to systemic inequalities and socioeconomic disparities. For example, Hispanic and Black students often face higher dropout rates compared to White and Asian students, partly because of overrepresentation in lower-income households and limited access to quality educational resources. Additionally, language barriers among Hispanic students with limited English proficiency can make academic success more difficult. Disability status also contributes to dropout rates, as students with disabilities often experience inadequate accommodations, social isolation, and lower academic expectations in schools that fail to provide sufficient support.
Gender differences further impact dropout rates. Boys are generally more likely to drop out than girls due to behavioral challenges and societal expectations around work, while girls may face unique challenges such as early pregnancy or caregiving responsibilities. Household income is another critical factor; students from low-income families often lack access to educational resources and may face pressure to contribute financially to their households. Poverty can also lead to instability in housing and nutrition, which negatively affects academic performance. Living quarters play an important role as well—students who are institutionalized (e.g., in foster care or juvenile detention) experience higher dropout rates due to disruptions in education, lack of stable support systems, and stigmatization.
English-speaking ability is a major barrier for immigrant students or those with limited proficiency. Language difficulties hinder academic achievement and social integration, increasing the risk of disengagement from school. Immigration status further compounds these challenges; immigrant students who arrive after age nine are more likely to drop out due to disrupted schooling during critical developmental periods. Discrimination and stereotyping by peers or educators can also alienate immigrant students from the school environment. These factors often intersect—for instance, race and socioeconomic status compound challenges for minority students, while immigrant students from low-income households face dual barriers of poverty and language difficulties. This is why addressing high school dropout requires holistic interventions that tackle these overlapping issues within schools, families, and communities and why this project is so important.
I hope this helped you understand a little bit of what I have recently used my model to discover and how it relates to our current issues in education policy.
Talk to you soon!
Sophia
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