Amanda Anh Thu Pham

ENC3331-14Fall 0M02
Professor Thomas Wright
Final Draft of Project Proposal
29 September 2014

Today, Floridas high school graduation rate increased significantly to a 74.5 percent rate.

Although the 3.9 percentage point jump was the highest in nearly a decade, Floridas rate

is still among the lowest within the United States and ranks higher than only five other

states. One in four students are still not getting a diploma. There are many factors

contributed to this, such as: low high school grade point average, low graduation test

scores, lack of aggression or persistency in academic well-being and complacency to

make a certain amount of money now instead of investing time and effort to achieve a

higher education to achieve more money later. The other factors are teen pregnancy,

teachers and professors not being up to par in their teaching and one of the major reasons,

peer influence. According to James S. Coleman, an American Sociologist, Particular

individuals who might never consider dropping out if they were in a different high school

might decide to drop out if they attended a school where many boys and girls did so.

But of all places, why is Florida suffering? I was in shock when I moved from Lorton,

Virginia to Melbourne, Florida during my senior year of high school. In Northern

Virginia, half-an-hour away from the heart of the District of Columbia, it seemed our

government had thirst for knowledge and competition sprayed in the air every morning.

Students were more proactive in keeping up with current events, persistent and

aggressive in their academic achievements, involved in many extracurricular activities

and extremely competitive against each other in all aspects; however, in Melbourne,

Florida, students lacked that ambition. I recall moments conversing with my peers

regarding their future goals and aspirations and receiving blank stares in return. They

would slightly shrug their shoulders and mumble something along the lines of wherever

life takes them.

I plan to execute a research plan to gauge motivations for high school students dropping

out. I will start by conducting a survey and interviewing those who have dropped out of

high school to figure out what occurrences and reasons caused them to make that choice.

Next, I would have to conduct research to see what measures the state is currently taking

to ensure high school students stay in school. I will interview aspiring teachers within the

University of Central Florida to see and analyze their perspective on this issue. Within

that process, I will also gather a group passionate on this cause. We would advocate for

the idea of a mandatory class credit regarding how essential it is to have both a high

school diploma and college degree in our society today because most jobs require a basic

level of education or higher. If a students Plan A route to success without an educational

degree falls through then there will be a Plan B to fall back on. This will be a required

class during a Florida students freshmen year in high school. It will touch base on how

essential it is to be ambitious, have high goals and aspirations, and carry an open mind

always looking for various ways to grow. Students will be thoroughly informed of the

potential results of a poor decision in leaving high school. After a few years with a string
of dead-end jobs, they will be back at square one wishing they had made different life

decisions in the past and now hoping to complete their education and have higher goals

and aspirations for themselves, but after being out of school for so long it will be difficult

for them to commit to school as they could have before. Last, I would have to get in

touch with Floridas state governor, Mr. Rick Scott, to discuss the potential case of

passing this proposed mandatory class credit within Floridas public school system.