What is the Pushout Problem?

Printer-friendly versionSend to friend
Pushed Out: Youth Voices on the Droupout Crisis in Philadelphia (2011) (Document)

Pushed Out: Youth Voices on the Dropout Crisis in Philadelphia is a Participatory Action Research report on the pushout crisis in Philadelphia. The research and writing of this report were completed by members of Youth United for Change's Pushout Chapter, a group of out-of-school youth and students in alternative schools and programs.

Pushed Out: Harsh Discipline in Louisiana Schools Denies the Right to Education (2010) (Document)

Families and Friends of Louisiana's Incarcerated Children (FFLIC) and the National Economic and Social Rights Initiative (NESRI) released the report, Pushed Out: Harsh Discipline in Louisiana Schools Denies the Right to Education (jan 2010).

Test, Punish and Pushout: How Zero Tolerance and High-Stakes Testing Funnel Youth into the School to Prison Pipeline (2010) (Document)

“Test, Punish, and Push Out” provides an overview of zero-tolerance school discipline and high-stakes testing, how they relate to each other, how laws and policies such as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) have made school discipline even more punitive, and the risk faced if these devastating policies are not reformed.

Dignity in Schools National Resolution for Ending School Pushout (2009) (Document)

Over 200 organizations and individuals have signed on to support the resolution, a call to action for our school systems to end the harsh disciplinary policies and law enforcement tactics that push too many young people out of school.

Dropout Nation (2006) (Document)

This article uncovers trends suggesting that many states disguise dropout rates so that they appear lower than they actually are. The article highlights several “types” of dropouts. One type identified as “The Pushout,” are kids who are unwanted because they are “problem students” and are encouraged to get a GED.

Dignity in Schools Campaign Statement (2008) (Document)

Pushout happens when youth are removed (or remove themselves) from a regular school setting as a result of policies and practices that discourage them from remaining in classrooms and on track to receive a regular diploma.

Pushing Out At-Risk Students: An Analysis of High School Discharge Figures (2002) (Research Report/Paper)

This report reviews New York City Department of Education discharge data and anecdotal evidence to expose an alarming rate of discharges of students in New York City Schools. According to the report, over 160,000 students were discharged between the 1997 and 2001 school years. These rates were higher than both graduation and dropout rates.