Teen Pregnancy and High School Drop Out Prevention free essay sample

Teenage pregnancy is affecting the graduation rate in high schools. All over the nation the dropout rate of students is increasing, of which teen pregnancy is often a factor. â€Å"Approximately 1,000 high school students will drop out with each hour that passes in a school day in America. This means that 30 percent of the class of 2007, or 1. 2 million students, were estimated to have dropped out last year† (National Womens Law Center, 2007). Many factors combine to affect a pregnant or parenting teen’s decision to drop out of high school. This paper will discuss these factors, the statistics and history of teen pregnancy, strengths and needs of this population and finally an intervention plan will be proposed based on past evidence to help teen mothers graduate high school. Over the years, schools and districts printed false or incorrect graduation rates, and as a result, the American public knew little of the possibility and seriousness of the problems faced by far too many of the nation‘s high schools. Reputable research has uncovered alarmingly low graduation rates that were previously hidden behind incorrect calculations and inadequate data. Between 2007 and 2008, the State Event Dropout rate of Arizona’s was 6. 7% (Chapman, Laird KewalRamani, 2010). Policies regarding teen mothers have been lost in the education system and people aren’t aware there even is a policy. â€Å"†¦Under Title IX, passed in 1972 and implemented in 1975, public schools are explicitly charged with providing equal educational access and opportunity to pregnant and mothering students† (Pillow, 2006). Sometimes even the slightest forms of discrimination can be enough to drive pregnant teens out of school. They come in the form of schools refusing to allow excused absences when a teen has a doctor’s appointment related to pregnancy or teachers not allowing make-up work to be completed. Sometimes counselors convince pregnant teens to move to substandard alternative schools or do not allow them to participate in school activities based on disparaging, discouraging and disapproving comments from teachers and students. This can be illegal due to Title XI and contribute to the high dropout rates. In the past people did not worry about teen pregnancy as long as they were married before they had their child. It was encouraged for young couples to get married and have a family at a young age. School was not as important as starting a family. By the 1900’s people started to put education before early marriages. When the Great Depression occurred, marriages and teen pregnancies began to rise again causing a decrease in education (Lindenmeyer, 2008). If a teen was seen pregnant in school the family was shunned or extremely embarrassed. Families would take their pregnant daughter out of school for the year. Families hid the fact that their daughters were pregnant out of wedlock. They would send them to special schools or home school them until the baby was born. Sometimes they would go back and finish school and other times they would drop out in order to help support the family. A teen that dropouts of high school significantly reduces their chances to secure a good job and a promising future. In 2006, it was estimated that adult women without a high school diploma earned only $15,500 per year. This is $6,000 less annually than women with a high school diploma (National Womens Law Center, 2007). Moreover, not only do the individuals themselves suffer, but the children of parenting teenagers suffer as well. Often, young women are left to raise a baby on their own, without the father and many times without any financial aid. This leads to more women who rely on the welfare system, which is funded by taxpayers. Each class of dropouts is responsible for financial and social costs to the communities and states in which they live, so a lack of financial contribution affects the economy. Teenagers also lack the sex education information they need. Schools do not allow sex education to be taught without parent approval and parents do not believe it is appropriate to discuss in school, yet they do not discuss it at home either. Teenagers are not educated about the dangers of engaging in sexual activity, which does lead to teen pregnancy. Providing comprehensive sexual education does not increase the likelihood that kids will have sex (Males, 1993). It will only give them the chance to make a better decision and know their options. Once teen pregnancy occurs, their lives change and the female rarely continues with her education. Teen mothers do not realize they can meet the same educational goals they had prior but it might take a little longer (Lopez-Dawson, 2000). Girls, who leave because they become pregnant, report that they would have continued with their education if they had received greater support from the educators in the school (Lopez-Dawson, 2000). Teen mothers do not know their options and do not know where else to turn. They end up dropping out and getting their GED because they are not told of any other options. Everyone needs to be educated and learn other resources that might be out there. There are many strengths and needs of the teen mothers who have dropped out of high school. Their strengths include resiliency and being a parent. Many teen mothers have had difficult childhoods and have survived many struggles. Overall, 84% of teen pregnancies are unintended and since they have  overcome many hardships, this is just another obstacle (Sheaff Talashek, 1995). Hopefully, teen mothers will see a new beginning in their new role as a mother and in their child and will work to be a good parent, even if they do not complete high school. Another strength is that they are in fact a parent. Whether larger society approves of teen parenting or not, they are parents and raising part of our future generation. According to the NASW Code of Ethics, social workers need to respect a person for whom they are and this will in turn help build the teen mother’s self-esteem (2008). It is important to recognize this and treat teen mothers like any other parent and count their child as a blessing and a future contribution to society. There are numerous specific needs of this population in regards to finishing high school that can be  identified through their most common struggles. Only 2% of teen mothers earn a college degree by age 30 (Albert, 2010). This can be understood through  reasons why teen mothers do not complete their high school education. According to Lall (2007) many teen moms leave school due to peer pressure. Other teenagers may not accept the teen parent and ridicule them, which may cause them to self-exclude and eventually leave school. Parenting teens may also leave school due to health and safety reasons (Lall, 2007). Pregnant women are seen as a liability by the school as if they are injured on school premises, there could be litigation. Also, pregnant women have morning sickness and  teen mothers often have sick children, which prevent them from attending class. Therefore, many of these teens require a flexible program that is able to meet their unique needs. A program needs to integrate these students back into academic classes after their child is born as often they lose sight of their academic goals. A study completed by Brosh, Weigel, Evans (2007)  found that  teen mothers need support and resources to help reach their education goals as teens feel â€Å"defeated and hopeless when it comes to achieving their goals†. This same study found teen mothers were more likely to reach educational goals if they were supported, in order of importance, by their  boyfriend, parents, teachers, daycare and nurse. It would also be beneficial if  teenage mothers could attend school with other teen mothers as they could relate to each other and would not be ostracized. The NASW Code of Ethics (2008) states that social workers need to help strengthen human relationships, and teen mothers need someone to give them the support they need. Most importantly, teen mothers  need day care for their children  while they are receiving their education so they are able to attend academic classes. These specific needs for this population demonstrate that teen mothers need a special program to assist them in receiving their high school education. The issue of dropping out of high school as a result of teen pregnancy impacts the larger community. Teenage girls who are pregnant and have not completed their high school education are often seen as a burden to the social security system as they may end up on welfare (Lall, 2007). There is a greater chance of teen mothers relying on welfare when they do not have their GED, which may prevent them from employment. It is estimated that teen parenthood costs the larger society $9 to $29 billion annually (Allen, Philliber, Herrling, Kupermins, 1997). This comes in the form of being on welfare and other government assistance that they may not have had to utilize if they were not teen parents. These high school dropout rates also affect larger society because society loses income and tax revenue when young women are on welfare. Since these women often do  not work, or work low income jobs, each class of high school drop outs cost society approximately $260 billion throughout their lifetime (Allen et. al, 1997). It is for these  reasons that some studies report teen pregnancy is mediating the intergenerational transmission of poverty (Bonnell, 2004). Society is failing to fully support teen mothers and prevent issues before they occur. This is why as social workers it is our duty to provide services and address the social problems of teen pregnancy in order to help (National Association of Social Workers, 2008). Society responds  poorly to teen mothers by a lack of education, social care, training and welfare provision (Bonnell, 2004). If social workers and society played a larger role helping these young women proceed, perhaps they would not fiscally harm the greater community. There are many cultural issues to take into consideration about the population of teen mothers who drop out of high school. These include socio economic status, ethnicity, age and religion. Since this paper is focused on teen mothers, the gender is only female. The economic status of teen girls affects their chances of having a child and dropping out of high school. Poor people have disproportionately high rates of teen pregnancy compared to their population size, but number wise, the majority of teen mothers are not poor (Albert, 2010). In fact, 41% of teen moms come from homes 200% or above poverty. A study by Sullivan (1993) determined the pattern of teen pregnancy out of wedlock in poverty is characterized by a lack of effective contraception, refraining from abortions, sexual activity and being unwed. It can be concluded that poorer people have less life options and therefore often have less motivation to avoid teen pregnancy. Ethnicity and nationality are also a crucial factor of teen mothers dropping out of school. Sullivan (1993) found that of those in poverty, African Americans had the highest amount of teen pregnancy, then Latinos then Whites. The majority of teen pregnancies was unplanned and half chose abortion. Latinos were least likely to abort and Whites were the most likely to abort. In Sullivans (1993) study, he found that many reported a lack of social supports to get them through high school or college so they did not have many options for the future. Childbearing was highly accepted for teens in poor neighborhoods as they often had a lack of educational and career goals. Dogan-Ates (2007) found among Latinas, one third of pregnant teens drop out of school right before or right after childbirth. The maternal role is highly valued among many Latinas and for some pregnancy signified a planned goal or the desire to become an adult. Dogan-Ates (2007) also found that Latina teens experienced greater support for their pregnancies than pregnant teens who were not Latina. The Latina teens that were pregnant had much less parental supervision and a lower GPA  than non-pregnant teens. The non-pregnant teens also had stronger religious beliefs compared to pregnant teens. Age also is a factor in teen pregnancy. For the purposes of this paper, ages 13 to 19 are the focus. Sheaff et. al (1995) compared pregnant and never-pregnant teens in a  housing shelter. The older the teen, the most likely her chances are to get pregnant. Beginning at age 10, birth rates increase until age 20 (Sheaff et. al, 1995). At least half of teen mothers become a second time parent within 36 months of their first child and 95% within 5 years of their first child (Sheaff et. al, 1995). It is extremely difficult to follow through with any form of education when you are a teen with one child so more than that makes it even more challenging. While teen pregnancy affects many young women, socio economic status, ethnicity, age and religion are factors that must be addressed when designing a program to help these teenage mothers finish high school. In past decades there have been many proposed interventions to help control dropout rates among teen mothers. Some of the most effective include programs that focus on sexual behavior, curriculum based STD/HIV education programs, clinic based or one-on-one programs, parent child communication programs, and programs that focus on both sexual and non-sexual behavior (Kirby, 2007). According to the National Schools Boards Association, public school in the United States serve over fifty million children per year and believe that the most poignant information can be brought to United States youth in public schools. The National School Boards Association states that promoting academic success and self-worth among teenagers lowers the chance of risky behavior among at–risk youth, which in return will lower the teen pregnancy dropout rate (Pike, 2009). Furthermore, the association proclaims that it is the job of schools to implement comprehensive programs to bring support of the importance of education to reduce the risk of pregnancy of at-risk youth (Pike, 2009). Lastly, it is noted that schools need to positively relay this information to the youth and encourage connectedness, confidence, and character (Pike, 2009). Although these programs are known to be effective in reducing the rate of teen pregnancy, the lack of teen mothers who continue on to pursue their high school diploma or GED after having given birth is ineffective. All of these aspects can help lead to lower the chance of drop out among teen mothers. However, it is important that interventions be put in place to give teen mothers an alternative to pursue their education after childbirth. An example of a specific intervention was through the Family Growth Center located in Pittsburg Pennsylvania. The program was created to intervene on behalf rising numbers of adolescent mothers in low socioeconomic neighborhoods. This study intervention used the ecological model and aimed to focus on the prevention of repeat pregnancies and school retention (Lehr, 2004). The four main aspects used in this intervention include: contact with the mother before they have the baby or directly after, family involvement, parenting groups, and community involvement, however the main focus is to involve other family members for social support such as mothers, father and grandparents (Lehr, 2004). The clients for this intervention were found through prenatal counselors. After birth, the clients were given perinatal counseling to help the mothers understand the importance of interacting with their newborns and to educate them on the newborns sensory abilities (Lehr, 2004). When the mothers return home, social workers from Family Growth Center continue to work with the clients and are given resources such as parenting classes, schooling, health care and assistance in finding housing. Family Growth Center also provides emergency day care, transportation, and extra curricular activities for teen mothers (Lehr, 2004). The primary focus of this intervention was to decrease repeat pregnancies and help teen mothers remain in school. This study lasted three years and data was collected on the occurrence of repeat pregnancies and school retention. Results showed that clients had much lower rates of repeat pregnancies and a higher rate of school completion in comparison to teen mothers who had no intervention after giving birth to their first child (Lehr, 2004). Maricopa Center for Adolescent Parents (MCAP) is the proposed intervention, located in Phoenix, Arizona. This non-profit organization provides adolescent mothers with an alternative to obtain their GED if they were forced to drop out of high school due to teen pregnancy or the responsibility of parenting was too overwhelming (Liscio, 2010). In many cases, girls can be out of school for years after having a baby, or they are hesitant to return to their original school. This obstacle makes it difficult for teen mothers to re-enroll in a high school after having been out of the education system. Maricopa Center for Adolescent Parents provides GED classes while giving parenting and life skills to help teen mothers adjust back into mainstream society. Maricopa Center for Adolescent Parents also provides case management to mothers to work on personal and parenting goals throughout their time at the school. In addition, MCAP provides free onsite childcare for any mother who is enrolled in the school. This invention is proven successful and will work because it allows the teen mothers to enter the school at any level they are at (ages 16-21) whether they dropped out at 7th grade or 12th grade and work on their GED in a self-paced manner. This program permits the teen mothers to interact with one another and work to become ready to join the workforce or continue with further education. Programs such as these are a necessity in keeping young mothers in school post childbirth. Nearly forty girls within Maricopa Center for Adolescent Parents obtain their GED on an annual basis, which statistically shows that the children of these teen mothers will have a higher chance of completing high school themselves (Mangel, 2010). This program is culturally competent because it does not discriminate the enrollment of teen mothers due to race, religion, socio economic status, past education, language, or any other underling factors. Maricopa Center for Adolescent Parents hires professions who are trained to be culturally competent by creating awareness by functioning in line with the NASW Code of Ethics. Examples of this are working as an advocate for the clients in the program, having knowledge and understanding of the history, traditions, and values that the individual clients have, using appropriate methodological approaches, and working on retention within the school in the most cross cultural competent manner. Overall, teenage girls who are pregnant or parenting have many more difficulties completing their high school education than non-pregnant and non-parenting teens. These girls need much more supports to finish high school like daycare, counselors and a realistic curriculum. A high school degree helps teen moms get a better job and become more financially stable and not rely on welfare. A program such as Maricopa Center for Adolescent Parents is beneficial in helping teen moms obtain their GED, which is turn, benefits larger society by decreasing the population on welfare.