Leaving School - Results From a National Survey Comparing School Leavers and High School Graduates 18 to 20 Years of Age - January 1995

9. Conclusions

Results from the SLS and other surveys indicate that the national high school non-completion rate in 1991 was in the 18-21% range, about 10% lower than the 30% figure estimated from administrative records.

Canadian youth today are staying in school longer and more are completing their secondary school programs than in the past. This is likely due in part to increased emphasis on the importance of educational attendance and completion, the economic recession, and to a pattern of temporary departure - return to school - and eventual completion. In addition, some students leave high school before obtaining their certificates or diplomas but take other education or training.

Nevertheless, the fact that one fifth of young adults in Canada are school leavers instead of graduates, is a cause for concern. A particularly serious issue is the high school grade level at which leavers are departing and their ages. Almost two thirds of the school leavers have only grade 10 education or less and are 17 years old or younger.

In a competitive economy dominated by technology and advanced skills and competencies, high school completion may be the minimum level of education needed to have an opportunity to compete in the labour market, obtain an entry-level job, and to secure a basic standard of living. Much more education and training is required for decent jobs, incomes and life-chances. Anything less than the minimum may restrict youth to long hours, tedious jobs with little opportunity for advancement, and a low quality of life. The economic and social costs to individual Canadians and to Canadian society are too high to become complacent about a 20% non-completion rate.

The fact that the non-completion rate varies by gender and province, with higher rates for males in the Atlantic Provinces, Quebec and Ontario deserves further investigation. Given the substantial gains that women have made in educational attainment and academic achievement, what factors influence the substantial number of young men to leave high school before completion?

As indicated above, further research is needed on the after-high school education or training received by youth. While the School Leavers Survey can estimate rates and investigate background and school experience variables, it and other cross-sectional surveys can say little about the process of alternative, equivalent, and advanced education beyond the age group of their samples. in the case of the SLS. 18-20-year-olds.

In order to examine the educational attainment of youth at a time when increasing attendance, including mixed work-study patterns and alternative educational routes are popular, it may be necessary to select an older age cohort for investigation. For example, surveys of individuals 23 - 25 years of age containing retrospective questions will reveal the paths and patterns Canadian youth have taken to arrive at their current education and employment situation. A second possibility for further inquiry involves a follow-up of the SLS respondents after three years to update their education, training, employment and income circumstances. A third type of study which would contribute knowledge in this important area is to replicate essential components of the School Leavers Survey (with new measures added) in 1995, thereby obtaining the latest rate information, and then to track respondents over the next 3 - 5 years, the crucial formative period concerning education, training and employment. Longitudinal studies are best able to examine this process.

High school leavers do not represent one homogeneous group. Contrary to the stereotypical picture of a "dropout" many leavers do not come from high risk backgrounds or have academic difficulties in school or work part-time to the exclusion of schooling. In addition, leavers are not extensively engaged in drug and alcohol consumption. Much more research needs to be done on key sub-groups such as leavers with high academic averages, low risk backgrounds, and those who leave although their high school experiences have been positive.

School leaving is the result of a number of contributory factors. Gender, province, socio-economic background, school and work experience influence the departure process.

If there is a common thread which links the leavers, it may be that they are less attached or connected to the institutions which are supposed to benefit them. Some families may not have time, material resources and strong beliefs about the importance of education. In these circumstances, a positive environment of encouragement and support for school completion may not be provided. Similarly, some peer groups may not value school attendance, academic success, and educational attainment. The curriculum and instructional practices in some schools may not involve and integrate students, and may not provide the practical, contemporary relevance which students and their communities seek. The high schools, in fact, may not have the time, resources and motivation to accomplish everything with which they are charged.

Not having benefitted by schooling, leavers are at a further disadvantage in seeking meaningful employment. Unemployment, long work hours and low income levels result. This process of cumulative disadvantage means that it becomes increasingly difficult for school leavers to get further education, training or skill development.

The School Leavers Survey highlights the importance of parental, student and school involvement in education. With the support and participation of communities, governments and employers, education would be strengthened as an important collective enterprise.

Contents