A teenager at age sixteen is taking a standardized test. He doesn't care whether he passes the test or not. His father died of lung cancer the other day and his mother is on the verge of losing her only job. She doesn't feel she should go to school, but help her mother overcome the pain of losing her husband. He plans to drop out of high school and get a steady job so he can support himself and his mother. School dropouts, like this teenager, are increasing at a higher rate than high school graduates. Teens may need to drop out if a circumstance occurs that they cannot control, such as the loss of a loved one. It's easy to drop out of high school, but it's harder to stay as a dropout. When a student drops out of high school, he or she leaves school without a high school diploma or GED. Approximately more than one million American students drop out of high school each year due to problems such as bullying or academic failure (“Background on High School Dropouts,” n.d.). Students see their problems, whether mental, physical or financial...