Impact of positive behaviour on school completion

Current research indicates that positive behaviour, successful school performance and social engagement are all factors that contribute to school completion.¹ The decision to drop out of school before graduation is a long-term process of academic and social disengagement from school. It is influenced by a variety of academic, personal and family experiences. Although students may not actually withdraw completely until senior high school, for many of them the process begins at different points in their schooling—even as early as Grade 1.

Studies have identified these risk factors in relation to early school leaving:

• school attendance
• social engagement
• behavioural issues
• school discipline policies.

The school environment and discipline policies and practices can also influence students’ decisions to stay in school or drop out.

School attendance

Absenteeism is a primary indicator of a student’s level of disengagement from school: the number of days a student is out of school has an impact on his or her chances of dropping out, starting in Grade 1. In a recent survey of students, missing too many days and having difficulty catching up was the second most reported reason for early school leaving. Other behaviours that can signal academic disengagement include truancy, consistently not completing homework and coming to class unprepared.

Social engagement

Students who leave school early are more likely to have limited social skills and difficulty getting along with peers at school. One study found that the students who were most likely to drop out were often not socially isolated but rather had made friends with other students who were also at risk of dropping out. Social disengagement at school also occurs when students are not involved in extracurricular activities such as clubs, sports, science fairs, scouting and the school newspaper. In senior high, social engagement through school or community clubs or activities is an important factor in keeping students in school until graduation. This is particularly true for students with disabilities.

Behavioural factors

Negative behaviour is a strong indicator that a student is not fully engaged with school. Also, if a student’s behaviour results in repeated suspensions or an expulsion, his or her alienation from school is likely to increase.

The following factors have also been consistently linked to early school leaving:

• problem behaviour resulting in suspensions or expulsions in middle school and high school
• getting into conflict with the justice system.

School environment

Negative school climates, which often include high rates of absenteeism and/or high rates of behaviour issues, are linked to increased early school leaving rates. Students also tend to drop out of school when:

• they don’t feel safe at school
• large proportions of students view discipline at their school as unfair or not supported by staff
• academic and discipline policies call for involuntary withdrawal.

Supervision and discipline policies

Many schools have zero tolerance discipline policies that require reporting to the police, and suspension or expulsion for any and all violations of school rules. This type of punitive response can lead to situations in which students face inappropriately serious consequences for relatively minor offences. Such policies often give students a double dose of punishment. They may be suspended or expelled and also have to appear in court. Such policies may increase the number of students who are at-risk of not completing school.

School performance

Poor academic performance is one of the most consistent predictors of early school leaving, whether measured through grades, test scores or course failure. Research indicates that the impact can begin as early as Grade 1 and continue throughout a student’s years at school. In several major surveys, students said that poor academic performance was a major reason for leaving school before graduation.

Engagement with school

Early school leaving is a long process of progressive disengagement that includes markers or warning signs along the way. In a recent survey, students who left school early reported that they felt increasingly alienated from school for one to three years before they dropped out. Seventy-one percent lost interest in school in Grade 9 or 10, over a third reported missing class often the year they dropped out, and the majority reported missing class often during the years preceding dropping out. In interviews, students described a pattern of refusing to wake up, missing school, skipping class and taking three-hour lunches. They also said that each absence made them less willing to go back.

Attitudes toward school

Having low educational expectations significantly increases the likelihood that students will leave school before earning a high school diploma. Low expectations may take the form of being uncertain about high school graduation or lacking plans for education beyond high school. Surveys show that students who left school early commonly felt they didn’t belong at school, had trouble getting along with their teachers or just had a general dislike of school.

Parents’ attitudes toward school are also important, as well as their actions related to education. Parents of students who leave school early tend to have infrequent contacts with the school about their child’s academic performance and/or behaviour, and rarely talk to their child about school or get involved in school activities. One study found a link between early school leaving and a lack of study aids such as books and reference material at home. Another study linked a low level of parental monitoring of homework with high dropout rates.

Addressing risk factors

The risk factors that influence early school leaving are interrelated and complex. No single factor causes students to leave school before graduation, and even though a factor is related to early school leaving, it is not necessarily a cause of early school leaving.

Information about risk factors can help schools develop universal, targeted and intensive individualized strategies to successfully engage students in learning, and provide the resources and support they need. A school-wide approach to positive behaviour support can provide schools with a context and framework for developing, implementing and monitoring these strategies.

School staff may wish to consider the following kinds of strategies that have both the potential to positively affect school completion rates and that align with a positive behaviour support approach.

Attendance

• Track attendance and take action to improve attendance rates for all students. For example, a school might develop flexible schedules, offer high-interest activities at the beginning of the school day and have school staff mentor targeted students.

Low achievement

• Work as a school team to develop and communicate high learning expectations for all students.
• Use a differentiated instruction approach that considers the individual learning needs of all students.
• Create opportunities for students to set goals for their own learning.
• Create opportunities to reinforce student effort and teach students to recognize, monitor and assess their own efforts.
• Explicitly teach and reinforce work habits and study skills.
• Identify students with learning disabilities and/ or emotional disorders and develop individual plans for supporting these students.
• Consider the negative effects of having students repeat a grade.

Parental involvement

• Work with parents to develop and communicate high expectations for learning.
• Create positive opportunities for parents to be involved in school activities.
• Create and maintain channels of communication with parents through special events, “meet the teacher” sessions and school newsletters.

Social engagement

• Create opportunities for all students to be involved in extracurricular activities.
• Build positive relationships between adults and students.

Behavioural support

• Set clear behavioural expectations and reinforce positive behaviour.
• Teach and reinforce social skills, including managing frustration, anger and social conflict.
• Provide proactive supervision and create effective routines that reduce opportunities for negative behaviour.
• Teach and reinforce resilency skills such as social problem solving, emotional regulations, and the ability to identify and respect the perspectives and needs of others.
• Provide opportunities for students to develop strong, realistic beliefs in their abilities, gifts and talents.