THE STATE OF ART ABOUT THE SCHOOL
DROP-OUT IN THE PARTNER COUNTRIES
BY MÉLANIE LATIERS - ORCHIS
SC-Barcelona March 2014
1
Introduction
Factors and
causes of
dropping out
Features of the
groups at
risk/organizations
Comparison of
practices and
tools
Partners needs in
response to dropout
2
Introduction
Factors and
causes of
dropping out
Features of the
groups at
risk/organizations
Comparison of
practices and
tools
Partners needs in
response to dropout
4 contexts for Atom’s
3
Why is it interesting to compare?
 Any strategy to combat school drop-out must rely on a
thorough analysis of specific national, regional and local
context of this issue.
 The compilation of accurate information about this issue
allows to better target the measures to be taken, e.g.
regarding training
 We gathered and compared information on two
dimensions. On the one hand we focus on the comparison
of local contexts, specifying the causes and extent of
drop-out in every region, but also the practices developed
in connection with this problem. On the other hand, a
focus on the needs of stakeholders in order to organize
the future transfer of innovation.
4
Which data is it necessary to compare?
The comparison focuses on the following data provided by the
partners :
 Identification of factors and causes of dropping out;
 Identification of groups at risk and therefore social, cultural,
family and economic contexts of these groups,
 Identification of already existing practices and tools to fight
the school drop-out,
 Identification of the needs of the partner countries in terms of
adequate response to drop-out
5
Introduction
Factors and
causes of
dropping out
Features of the
groups at
risk/organizations
Comparison of
practices and
tools
Partners needs in
response to dropout
Multiple causes and factors
6
Differentiating factors and public (1)
 The scientific literature dealing with the issue of
drop-out agrees to present it as multidimensional
one, with causes described as multiple and
interrelated (Robertson & Collerrette, 2005)
 In the analysis, we distinguish six types of factors :
social, economic, political, geographical,
institutional and health factors.
7
Differentiating factors and public (2)
 ATOM 's project gathers actors that differ in terms of
target audience and type of education :
- Spanish and Italian partners : young people between 12
and 18 years, compulsory education
- Belgian partners : young people between 15 and 18 years,
compulsory education
- French partners : young people between 18 and 25 years,
engaged in a training process
 These differences have an impact in terms of factors and
causes of drop-out , especially regarding the difference
between people being trained and people at school.
8
1. Social factors
 To distinguish the factors mentioned by the different
partners , we will indicate the source of each item with the
first letter of the partner countries (I for Italy , B for
Belgium, Spain and E )
 These factors relate to the environment and family
situation of young people, their behavior, but also the
socio-historical context (habits, especially related to culture
and local identity).
9
1.1. Social factors for people being trained
(F)
 For people being trained, French partner insists on three
elements :
– The people being trained in Etcharry are largely women, who are
often alone to raise their child(ren), usually after a long period of
inactivity (unemployment, parental leave…) . These mothers may
then find it difficult to manage a family organization that must adapt
to the required availability .
– A second element is related to the difficulty of matching the wishes
and competencies of people on the one hand, and the
perspectives and positions offered by companies on the other.
– A third element is the difficulty of reintegration into a training
process. For students, this process generates pressure, and there
is a risk of drop-out if the difficulties are too big to overcomed.
10
1.2. Social factors for young people at
school (1)
For young people at school, the factors identified are quite
different :
The first factor concerns the influence the family context on
dropout behavior, for different reasons :
 various family difficulties (financial, relational , emotional,
professional) (B).
 cultural and educational capital of the family (status, level
of education) (I) (E).
 overall family dynamics, particularly regarding the issues
of limits, lifestyle, values and attitudes (E) : representation
of school and instruction (e.g. Rom families (E)),
importance of new technologies (B); time spent by
parents to monitor school career (I) (B).
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1.2. Social factors for young people at
school (2)
The second factor focuses on the behavior of young
people. Here are pointed :
 The difficulty in enduring the stresses of group life and
rules in society (B).
 The lack of sense given by the young people about
education. They focus more on other priorities (e.g. video
games) (B).
 The orientation choices that are not always right (B).
 The " street culture " that exists in some areas, where
young people spend most of their time on the street (E).
12
1.2. Social factors for young people at
school (3)
The third factor focuses on the impact of socio-historical
context on the dropout, with several key factors :
 The representations conveyed by the media, focusing on
success, money, hedonism, the importance of the new
technologies (I)
 The crisis of the traditional family, which generates a multiple
and complex of family configurations (I)
 The high rate of unemployment for young people, which
reduces the value of education, but also personal and family
investment (I)
 The organization of working time and school time that do not
facilitate a dialogue between school and the family (I)
13
1.2. Social factors for young people at
school (4)
 The increase of people at school during the year, particularly
due to the arrival of children from immigrant families (I)
 The education system that does not offer training programs
that correspond to the expectations and needs of young
people (B)
A first observation of social factors shows that the results of the
different partners differ. The majority of factors identified by the
Spanish partner is related to the influence of the family
background. Belgian partners focus more on young people's
behavior, while the Italian partners rather centered on the sociohistorical factors.
14
2. Economic factors
 The elements included in this category relate to
- The local economy, particularly in terms of
employment and the main local economic sectors,
- The financial situation of the actors involved in the
issue of drop-out (families, institutions, schools).
15
2.1. Economic factors for people being
trained (F)
The French partner focuses on one main factor :
 The type of job (or internship) related to training can
be a factor that influences the drop-out behaviors.
Etcharry provides training in the area of Personal
Services. This sector mostly offers part-time jobs
and work on weekends or shift schedule. Students
may therefore be in trouble, especially financially,
when they have to meet the requirements of the job
(e.g. when they have to travel, to take care of their
children).
16
2.2. Economic factors for young people at
school
 The local economic context plays a role (E) ( I)
(unemployment, sectors growing) . Spanish
partners evoke the context Baró de Viver,
characterized by a precarious economic situation.
 The financial situation of families has an influence
both on the school career, choice of schools and
school results (I) (E).
 The perception of education as a tool providing the
ability to get a job is crucial. (B) (I) .
 The financial situation of the school determines the
magnitude of the support to young people in
trouble(I).
17
3.1. Political factors for people being
trained (F)
 The political choices complicate the support to
young people.
– On the one hand there is less financial support for drop-out
situations and reintegration through a training course.
– On the other hand the priorities of the accompaniment
change. Supporting young people in their personal project
on a global level (social, psychological, vocational and
health ... ) is gradually abandoned. The focus is more and
more on the only professional dimension.
– In addition, the lack of funding for the fight against drop-out
implies less cooperation between services. Different social
workers may then be in touch with the same young people
without real collaborative work, or information transmission
between them.
18
3.2. Political factors for young people at
school (1)
Several specificities of national and local policies are
highlighted :
 In Italy, the financial resources for fight against early
school leaving are insufficient. Indeed, budget
constraints lead to divestment policies in the fields
of education and culture. Funding devoted to the
fight against school drop-out become annual ,
temporary, or related to EU funding, which leads to
fragmentation of interventions, a lack of continuity in
projects and a difficulty in anticipating new ones.
19
3.2. Political factors for young people at
school (2)
Several specificities of national and local policies are
highlighted :
 In Belgium, the lack of appreciation of certain
education sectors, including “education in
alternation”, is considered as a factor favoring the
drop-out. In addition, the lack of sanctions (financial
or others) in case of drop-out is an aggravating
factor.
 In Spain, a 1990 law changed the limit age of
compulsory school from 14 to 16 years, which had
some consequences on the issue of drop-out.
20
4.1. Geographic factors for people being
trained (F)
The French partner describes several factors in the
local context (Basque Country) :
 The internal Basque country is marked by a strong
culture (including a specific language ), which can
be an obstacle to the individual psychological and
geographical mobility.
 The geographical context, with rural valleys and
mountains, leads to difficulties in terms of mobility
for people being trained (logistical and financial
difficulties)
21
4.2. Geographic factors for young people
at school
Geographic factors are different :
- Some areas have few schools, which would be a
factor favoring drop-out (I).
- The isolation of some areas (from the city) is also a
crucial factor, because the marginalization of the
population may influence the behaviors of young
people. For example, the area of Baró de Viver in
Spain, separated from Barcelona by Besos river,
makes it an isolated place, which is experienced as
such by the inhabitants (E).
22
5. Institutional factors, related to the
education system
Two elements that affect young people at school are
mentioned by the Italian partner:
 The insufficient training of teachers in some fields
that are not part of their basic competences. That
causes problems to face complex situations
experienced by some young people.
 The prevalence of summative and not formative
evaluation in the educational system prevents a
personalized monitoring/support for young people.
23
6. Health factors
 The partners identify identical elements, even if they
occur in different contexts (training or compulsory
education). Risk behaviors (addictions and others)
and psychological/mental problems are here
mentioned as causes of school drop-out.
24
Introduction
Factors and
causes of
dropping out
Features of the
groups at
risk/organizations
Comparison of
practices and
tools
Partners needs in
response to dropout
Who are they?
25
1. Who are the young people at risk of
drop-out?
 What is their social, cultural, family and economic
context ?
26