Lowering Teenage Pregnancy/High School Dropout Rates

1. Lowering Teenage Pregnancy/High School Dropout Rates By Amanda Carbine

2. Reasons why we need to concentrate on lowering teenage pregnancy rates • It would help to lower the rates of high school dropouts • We wouldn’t have so many kids being raised in unfit homes. • Teenage pregnancies have a huge impact on society and economics.

3. High School Dropouts • Statistics show that one in every three girls get pregnant at least once before they’re twenty. • Research has shown that about 30% of teenage girls who have dropped out said that pregnancy was the main reason. • Less than 2% of teenage girls who had a baby before they were 18 attain a college degree by the age of 30.

4. Number of School Dropouts and Teenage Pregnancies in Utah Alone

5. How to Improve the Graduation Rate • Between 2001 and 2009, the national graduation rate increased 3.5%. • There are those who would like to get the nationwide graduation rate up to 90% by 2020. They believe it to be a challenge. • If we focus on the schools with high dropout and teenage pregnancy rates, then we can continue to improve the graduation rate over the next 8 years.

6. Raising Children in Unfit Homes • Most children born to teenage mothers, life in a single-mother household. • Having a baby when you’re a teenager, affects the future prospects of their children. • Research shows that the children of teenage mothers start of at a disadvantage and begin kindergarten with low levels of school readiness. This includes: • Lower math and reading scores • Language and communication skills • Social skills

7. How Children’s Futures Can Be Affected By How Their Raised • It is a known fact that how you raise your children will have a distinct impact on how they will behave when they grow up. • Raising children in unfit homes will cause them to have struggles and be misguided in their futures.

8. How Teenage Parents and High School Dropouts Affect Society • Research shows that on average, teen childbearing costs taxpayers about $10.9 billion dollars. • Research also shows that a single high school dropout costs the nation about $260,000 in lost earnings, taxes, and productivity. • In 2008, Utah taxpayers paid about 86 million dollars towards the cost of teenage childbearing.

9. How Teen Parents and High School Dropouts Are Viewed In the Economic World • For many places of business, you must have at least a high school diploma to be able to work there. • Most places will frown upon those who have dropped out of high school, no matter what the reason. • An example of a place that you will be able to work at without a high school diploma is McDonalds.

10. Benefits in Lowering Teenage Pregnancy Rates • From 1991 to 2002, declines in the teen birth rate had a direct impact on improving child poverty in all 50 states. • During this time, there was a 23% decrease in teen pregnancies in Utah alone. • Out of this 23%, 5% of the children born to teenage mothers would be living in poverty and 9% would be living in single-mother households.

11. What We Can Do to Help Lower Teenage Pregnancy/High School Dropout Rates • 90% of all adults believe that reducing teenage pregnancy will be an effective way of reducing the number of high school dropouts. • Reducing teenage pregnancy means promoting abstinence in teens, or at the very least promoting the use of protection. • Teens are going to engage in sexual activities whether parents want to believe it or not. The only way to try and ensure that they do not end up pregnant is by talking with them about the importance of at least being safe with those they are being sexual with.

12. Work Cited • http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/resources/pdf/teen-preg-hs-dropout.pdf • http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/national-data/the-what-if-project.aspx • http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/costs/default.aspx#UT • http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/national-data/pdf/What_If_UT_Final.pdf