School truancy and drop out in France is visible to outside observers but not always within the school

You have done research on school dropouts and students who fail to come to school at an early age. What is one of the main reasons why this happens?

The causes of dropout are multifactor (problems at school, with family, peers etc.). But the most important factor is undoubtedly that of accumulated deficiencies in learning since the beginning of scholastic career. Students lose meaning of their presence at school. These gaps are inadequately identified and supported at school; students are in despair, feeling like they are worth nothing, they lose confidence, and withdraw from the school scene or disrupt classes and are therefore excluded.

Have you seen any specific policies, from your point of view, that may solve the problem of truancy and school dropout? If so, where was this and what was the policy about? If not, could you recommend some policies to be implemented to reduce the number of dropouts?

Yes, there are numerous official guidelines. The measures to suspend the allowances are not applicable and in any case not effective for the heaviest situations. Personal assistance for students struggling in the first degree and tutoring for the work from one course to another in the second degree is given at schools but there is no educational assessment of these actions. During my researches in Northern France and Paris, I noticed a change in the situation when an entire school refocused their teaching system. Teachers were mobilizing students and working together and they established strong links with students by supporting them, listening to them and identifying the difficulties and the source of problems for each student. The more students are in trouble, the more they need structuring, caring, support, and a strong relationship with adults. The staff in charge of school life (monitoring absences and delays, sanctions, relations with families) also play an important role in inviting/urging students to come back to school and in reminding them about the rules at school. But it is necessary that the rules are consistent if we want to combat school dropout and student truancy. Students who arrive late are considered absent for half a day and are often not allowed in school until the end of the corresponding hour. Once away from the school students become weak and do not return. We need to work together in supporting education and rules that encourage students to come and stay in school. Families should be approached in order to urge them to be real partners in this process.

Do some students (e.g. those from low socio-economic background) leave school earlier than others? If yes, what kind of students are they? And around what age do problems exist?

Truancy and school dropout are more prevalent among students of modest or poor backgrounds. Their parents are away from school and have few resources to understand and help their children (they cannot offer them private lessons or discuss with school staff in equal shares). There is no real student profile of dropouts, they can be very withdrawn, but they can also be very present by disrupting classes and being unproductive. Serious problems arise between 14 and 16 year old students. This is when the guidelines to the general education, technological or business are determined, young people have a certain autonomy of action and are susceptible to the attraction of peer groups.

What have you found one of the main reasons why students leave school early?

In addition to problems related to learning and the way schools are organised, some young people have lives so difficult that they are mobilized on other fields than education. For instance they have to contribute to the family budget or need to meet their own financial needs, they support their family (protection of a parent in case of spousal violence, care for younger siblings), they suffer family disintegration that leads them to self-manage their daily lives without establishing a clear priority for school: all this can lead to truancy or students dropping out. These factors are visible to outside observers, but they are not always identified at school.

What do these students do once they have stopped going to school?

Many stay at home and do not have something useful to do with their time, others continue to look after younger brothers and sisters (this is more prevalent amongst girls), some try to find work but without success, others continue to or engage in criminal activities often initiated before the end of school and some young girls get pregnant around 16 or 17 years of age. If they are supported by the services of the Judicial Protection of Youth (PJJ), they can do vocational training. Some students attend programs given by the school (Mission Générale d'Insertion for example), which works better when contact with school officials was not completely broken off before they have stopped going to school. Overall it can be said that young people starting on the job market with no qualifications have a greater risk of not being accepted socially and/or professionally.

Elizabeth Winkel, EUKN