What is the school dropout rate?

According to the Institute of Education Sciences, “The status dropout rate represents the percentage of 16- through 24-year-olds who are not enrolled in school and have not earned a high school credential (either a diploma or an equivalency credential such as a General Educational Development [GED] certificate).”

Statistics don’t lie

Pbs.com paints this disconcerting picture of the American school dropout situation:

Despite significant progress over the past decade, graduation rates for African-American and Hispanic students remain very low in many states, and significant gaps persist. In an era of limited opportunities for those without high school diplomas to find jobs, one-third of African-American students and 30 percent of Hispanic students are still not graduating high school.

Although Whites, African-Americans, and Hispanics children drop out of school, the latter two are the most affected.

The reasons for increasing cases of dropouts

One of the key reasons for this sad state of affairs is the lack of role models. The US has a minimal number of African-Americans or Hispanics in positions of leadership or business. As such, there are no successful people for young people to look up to, especially those who have attained influential positions owing to education. Most role models are in sports where education is not a prerequisite for success.

No parental reinforcement

The other contributory factor for high rates of school dropout in these two population groups is lack of parental reinforcement. Parents of these children do not create academic spaces within their homes. Children are not given the freedom to make decisions of their own, and they are burdened with household chores when they should be studying.

Lack of support systems

Lastly, Hispanic and African-American children live in neighborhoods and communities devoid of support systems. These include neighborhood organizations, afterschool programs, and informal social networks. These are forums in which parents and families share information that aids their children in excelling in academic work, thus averting isolation and eventual dropping out of some students.

© EthLeen

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In a recent survey parents were asked what they find the most frustrating about their children. I in an overwhelming response they stated, it was the fact that they have to tell their children to do the simplest tasks over and over again before they are done, a battle they face every day.

What if I told you there are five steps you can take to ensure that your child’s does what you ask the first time you ask… Yes, you heard me right, the first time you ask. Follow these steps and you will save money on your headache medicine and achieve harmony between you and your children.

Before we go into the steps that need to be taken is important to understand why this is occurring. The answer may surprise you. It may be a power struggle between you and your child. The longer your child can refuse to perform a task you have asked the more powerful they feel. The most effective way to end this power struggle is to refuse to engage in it. Giving your child clear and direct expectations and consequences is a great way to resolve this issue.

To end the struggle of having to ask over and over again, it may require the task of training your child. Let me explain, if your child is used to you repeating a request again and again, he or she knows that they don’t have to really do it until the fifth and final request is made. You need to change the dynamic. This will not be easy, but it is something that you and your child will appreciate over time.

Have a short, direct conversation with your child about the problem.

Be sure you know what the consequence will be.

Give a time frame to allow for transition.  Example: “The trash needs to be taken out before 4 o’clock. That means you have 20 minutes to get it done.” This is a really important piece of the puzzle. You’re connecting your consequences to the behavior you want to improve, and you are clearly letting your child know what they earn when they complete the task.

In the beginning, give a reminder – once. This is important because you are teaching your child a new behavior, this won’t happen automatically.

Be prepared for failure. They will continue to test you. Stay strong, stick to the plan and you and your child will succeed.

©EthLeen

The post How to Achieve Family Harmony Between you and Your Children appeared first on Alaafia African Family Resource Center.

Regardless of the religion you practice it is important to introduce family prayer as a regular component of your family structure. It is easy to reinforce every day. By doing this it helps emphasize the lessons you learned during your Sunday services and it also helps bring your family closer together in a spiritual and loving way.

Practicing prayer at home helps your children understand that prayer is simply a conversation with God. Here are a few ideas that can help you get the practice of prayer started in your home.

1) Newspaper Prayer. Have each family member take a portion of the newspaper and circle items that he or she feels need to be prayed for. Then ask family members to pray for the things they circled in the paper.

2) Sentence Prayer. You can help your children pray aloud by giving them a sentence to complete, such as:

“Lord, I thank you for …”

“Lord, forgive me for …”

“Lord, help my friend …”

“Lord, help me be more …”

“Lord, help me to let go of …”

“Lord, give me the courage to …”

Lord, one of the fears I need help with is …”

3) Highs and Lows. Ask your children what their “highs” were from the day, and then ask them about their “lows”. Share your highs and lows as well, and then pray for them together.

4) Prayer Journal. Share your prayer requests with the other members of your family and then record them in a prayer journal. One person can pray for all the requests you’ve listed for the day. The next time you pray together, look over the requests you listed previously and update any changes and answers.

5) A.C.T.S. Prayer. This is a well-known form of prayer that is easy to remember:

A stands for “adoration.” Begin the prayer by simply adoring God for who He is.

C stands for “confession.” Spend some time confessing your sins.

T stands for “thanksgiving.” Take time to thank God for the blessings that He has given to you and your family.

S stands for “supplication.” Lift up specific areas of your life in which you need God to supply

©EthLeen

The post Why is Prayer an Important Family Component appeared first on Alaafia African Family Resource Center.

See if this changes your viewpoint:

Eileen Masio, a mom of two in New York, monitors her daughter Amelia’s Instagram account 24/7. Yes, most of the posts are “selfies,” but it’s the comments that make her think there is also a positive to this nonstop engagement.

“I think just as damaging as social media can be, it can … help to build self-confidence, too,” said Masio. “When they post selfies, all the comments I usually see are ‘You’re beautiful,’ ‘You’re so pretty,’ ‘Oh my God, gorgeous,'” said Masio.

This was confirmed further by a report done by the nonprofit child advocacy group known as, Common Sense Media. This report stated that one in five teens said social media made them feel more confident compared to 4 percent who said it made them feel less confident.

Their survey was done with more than a thousand teens ranging in age from 13 to 17 years old. They were asked how they view their digital lives. This is what they found: 28 percent said social networking made them feel more outgoing versus 5 percent who said it made them feel less so; and 29 percent said it made them feel less shy versus the 3 percent who said it made them feel more introverted.

When it comes to relationships with friends more than half of the teens said, “Social media has made them better versus just 4 percent who said it has negatively affected those relationships.” “On the whole, teens said that they feel that social media has a more positive than negative impact on their social and emotional lives,” said Shira Lee Katz, Common Sense Media’s director of digital media. “They believe that social media helps their friendships, makes them feel more outgoing and gives them confidence.”

Other benefits that they referenced include helping isolated kids feel less isolated when connected with other kids with the same interests online. Teens have also used social media to make their voices heard when they feel there is an injustice. They want their voices heard.

So, what do you think now?

©EthLeen

The post The Positive Aspects of Social Media on our Children appeared first on Alaafia African Family Resource Center.

A good example of this, according to Robyn Silverman, a New Jersey-based child and teen development specialist is in the following example:

“You say, ‘I made this commitment to go to the PTA meeting, but I’m really tired. I don’t want to go. So this is a real hard choice for me, but commitment is really important for me,'” and so on. “They hear your process.”

Experts also state that the world is your classroom. Lessons can arise from books your children read, movies they watch or from interacting with their peers.

“This strategy of explanation and engagement is what psychologist Eileen Kennedy-Moore calls “modeling plus”—essentially, taking role modeling to the next level. That’s because simply doing something on its own doesn’t always drive the message home to your kids.”

As I’m sure you are well aware, this may not work with every child or every time. But, as I am sure you have experienced, the idea of do as I say, not what I do will never work with kids. Remember, your kids are watching you even when you think they are not. You always want your messages to be consistent and positive. They will always model your behavior. If you want your children to exercise and eat well you must follow that same philosophy. Make it fun by doing it together.

It is important to note that as your children get older the form of the message you are trying to convey must match their age and comprehension skills. One psychologist refers to this as her “30 year plan.” The characteristics that parents should instill in their children include empathy, integrity and honesty. By displaying these qualities yourself and instilling them in your children they will grow to be good parents, good partners and good citizens of the world.

Whether we are adults or children we are all looking for the same things in life. We are looking for happiness, connection with others and inspiration. By using the modeling plus technique this is possible.

©EthLeen

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