Children skip school because "there is no way out"

(Dan Tri) - Every time he goes to campaign for a child in a rural area to go to school, Perry (American nationality) is not sure if he will be successful in convincing the family or will be threatened or even attacked by them.

Brooke Perry is a attendance officer and homeless assistance coordinator in Champaign County, Ohio. Every year, Perry works with hundreds of students who are truant and need help getting back to class.

Children living in rural Ohio, USA (Photo: Danna Singer).

Perry sees contrasting realities each time she visits their homes. She believes anyone who sees the living conditions of these rural children will understand why education is at the bottom of their priority list.

Beth Macy, a former journalist and author of “Dopesick,” said that 40 years ago, she was a poor country girl working manual labor, but still had the opportunity to go to college and rise into the middle class. But that path is now nearly closed to many rural teenagers.

About 20% of America’s public school students attend rural schools. In Urbana alone, the child poverty rate has tripled since Macy left and is expected to reach nearly 25% by 2023. Poverty levels are often higher in rural areas than in urban areas, with a host of consequences.

Ms. Macy said the reason "poor rural children are getting poorer" stems from the gradual move of factories out of rural districts, causing job opportunities to decrease and drug abuse to spread.

As a result, many families have been torn apart. The sense of hopelessness that pervades the community has made mental health and trauma the two biggest issues for rural youth. Children growing up in unstable environments not only face safety risks but also lose basic life skills.

A study in Maine found that some rural schools had nurses only once a month, forcing teachers to double as social workers. Teacher shortages remain a persistent problem, while the federal Department of Education cut funding for teacher training earlier this year.

According to Macy, the sustainable solution to supporting poor rural children is to expand access to comprehensive support services, including food, school health and psychological counseling. However, this faces major obstacles because the number of students is small, the level of policy support is high and the area is spread out.

What’s more, vocational training, one of the ways to help rural youth find good, suitable jobs, is being neglected. What’s controversial is that while the government claims to want to support vocational training, it has sought to cut funding for Job Corps, a vocational training program for low-income students.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/nhung-dua-tre-tron-hoc-do-khong-con-loi-thoat-20251125155154559.htm