Social Poblems

Each year nine hundred thousand American teenagers get pregnant and give birth to five hundred thousand children. These problems are generally more severe for the mother than the father. These children are much more likely to be living in poverty than any other type of child. Abused and neglected children are another social problem among schools. Three million cases of child abuse are reported to child services annually. More than eight hundred thousand of these cases are substantiated. Three fifths of these children suffer from neglect, one fifth suffer from physical abuse, and one tenth of these children were victims of sexual abuse. Another issue is alcohol and drug abuse. Four out of every five students have consumed alcohol by the end of high school, and nearly two thirds of twelfth graders have reported being drunk. Forty one percent of students have reported using illicit drugs by the time of graduation. Adolescent suicide is another major problem. It is the third highest killer among adolescents. For every teenager that commits suicide one hundred more will try. One in every thirteen students attempts suicide, and half of all high school students say they have seriously considered. School violence and vandalism remains as another problem. Out of all the homicides and suicides less than one percent are associated with a school, but even this is still too much. School dropout rates are another big problem among schools. Three hundred to five hundred thousand students leave high school without their diploma. These dropout rates are strongly related to the incomes of the families. The dropout rate is higher in schools with impoverished families.
             How do these problems affect the student in the classroom? With the new family patterns it is hard for teachers to keep both parents informed of all of the happenings involving the student. You can no longer say have your parent sign this, you must say have the person who takes care of you sign this so it will not cause the student to feel lesser because it has no parents.