"I think some of the reasons that it's important to look at this is to know what to do to prevent it," said Dr. Ken Seeley with the National Center for School Engagement.

The NCSE, Colorado Youth for a Change, Colorado Children's Campaign and Colorado Graduates initiative worked together to put together a series of reports on why Colorado students drop out of school.

Two reports, "Girls Tend to Stop Going; Boys Get Told Not to Come Back" and "School Dropouts in Rural Colorado School Districts" shed light on different issues by talking with school leaders and people who have dropped out.

"This is the first study of rural dropouts in the United States," Seeley said.

Seeley says rural school districts have the lowest drop out rates and highest graduation rates.

"I think that the rural school districts have much to teach suburban and urban school districts," Seeley said.

He says in rural areas, schools are more of the focal point of the community and keep students involved.

"The rural districts that have low dropout rates and higher graduation rates tended to have more engaging activities in after-school, extended learning with high participation rates," Seeley said.

He says poverty and immigration status were not factors which contributed to rural students dropping out.

"What the rural school administrators said to us is that really, it's the family dysfunction and heavy drug use that tended to lead kids to drop out of school in rural areas," Seeley said.

With respect to gender differences, Seeley says the study shows that more boys still drop out than girls. He says the reasons that girls drop out are often more emotional than academic.

"They'll either choose to go to school or not go to school because of the emotional attachments that they have or lack," Seeley said.
The studies show that a lack of relationships with adults and peers can influence a girl's decision to drop out. Another factor is a reluctance or inability to advocate for themselves. Plus, a girl may be forced to leave due to care-giving responsibilities for a relative at home or because of a pregnancy.

Seeley says girls tend to fade away from school before dropping out, while boys are usually more bombastic and disruptive prior to leaving for good.

"We think there are different reasons [for girls to drop out]," Seeley said. "I do think that the intervention for girls needs to be a bit different."

Right now, schools are focusing on dropout intervention in the ninth grade. Other research shows that students who get failing grades during their freshman year and have disciplinary issues tend to drop out later in high school.

Seeley hopes that as more research surfaces teachers can do a better job of keeping kids in school and helping them with their problems.

If you want to find out more about these reports, you can visit www.coloradograduates.org.

"There's a lot of good news about this," Seeley said. "This is something we can do something about. We can turn this curve."