CAUSE AND EFFECT ESSAY

Cause and effect Essay

Cause and effect Essay

Introduction

There is more than one path to high school completion. Most students receive a regular high school diploma after completing the required secondary school course work. Some students, however, complete high school by means of an equivalency test and receive an alternative credential such as a General Educational Development (GED) certificate. Still others receive a certificate of completion issued by the state in recognition of achieving requirements other than those of the regular curriculum, such as attending school regularly for 12 years or passing a test specified by the state. The requirements for such certificates vary from state to state. Strictly speaking, a high school graduation rate is based solely on students receiving "regular" high school diplomas. High school completion rates, however, usually count both those students who receive regular diplomas and those who complete high school by means of an equivalency test, such as the GED. (Booth, 2005)

Gaustad (1991) states that “the definition of a dropout varies widely with different states, districts, and even schools within districts” For example, some districts may not include students who drop out over the summer, or who leave school to get married, while others do include them in the dropout total. (McMillen, 1994).

Discussion

High birth rates, low levels of private school enrollment and increased immigration of Latinos have resulted in a rise of Latino public school enrollment, which is now more than 7 million. Nationwide, the Latino share of public school enrollment has almost tripled since 1968, compared to an increase of just 30% in black enrollment and a decrease of 17% in white enrollment during the same time period. A smaller percent of students attend private schools than a half-century ago and white private school enrollment is lowest in the ...