New report says black male Dropouts lead nation in incarceration

            I was just recently forwarded a bleak statistic: male dropouts are 47 times more likely to be incarcerated than their college-graduated counterparts.  Even more unnerving is the discrepancy across races.  Black male dropouts are disproportionately more likely to serve time in jail when compared to Asian, Hispanic, and White male dropouts (23 percent versus 7 percent, respectively).  More information can be found in the St. Louis American article: New report says black male Dropouts lead nation in incarceration

http://www.stlamerican.com/articles/2009/10/19/news/local_news/localnews0000000001.txt

            How does one begin to address an issue of this magnitude?  The debate still rages regarding the root cause(s)—institutionalized racism, parental involvement or lack thereof, incongruent education systems (reflecting the economic status of the surrounding neighborhood), lack of school funding, apathetic attitudes of students, political agendas of school authorities—however, what is being done to ameliorate the problem is of critical concern.

Early intervention efforts may be a plausible answer, although appropriating funds for such a service may pose to be a problem for some school districts.  By including students in the discussion surrounding high school dropouts and incarceration, and seeking their input, we can promote student engagement in the classroom.  Additionally, students have much more insight than they are given credit for and may, given that they are a key player in discussion, potentially hold the insight needed to address this problem.

I believe that change will come, albeit slowly.  I don’t have the solution, however I do have the ability to provide encouragement and support for those teens who may feel lost in the system.  I also have ears that allow me to listen to what teens have to say for themselves.  I’m listening, are you?