Portugal presentation of dropout

2. Dropouts are characterized by the early exit from school before the conclusion of
schooling and / or before the age of 18.
School dropouts happen when a student does not adapt to the standards equally
demanded to the whole class, begins to lose interest in school and ends up abandoning
it.
It can happen to students who have the ability and intelligence to succeed, but are
unable or unwilling to apply those skills in school.
There are several factors that can lead to dropouts: depression, anxiety, family problems,
learning difficulties, etc. Other causes are the lack of proper housing and physical
conditions to study, poverty, frequent school transfers and the inability to speak
Portuguese.

3.  School failure is a problem of school achievement, which results in grade repetition
 School dropouts and failure are often related - many of the early school leavers
have academic pathways marked by school failure
 The causes of failure are varied and may focus on several factors, such as:
o Students
o Families
o Teachers
o Schools
o Curriculum
o Society

4.  Students:
- Lack of motivation
- The emotional instability in adolescence. This often leads the student to reject school, to
reduce commitment towards their studies, and often to indiscipline
- Delays in cognitive development
- Lifestyles. Difficulty in balancing school requirements with other diverse personal activities
(frequent nights out, computer games, sports, etc.), provoking poorly regulated life habits

5.
 Families:
-Authoritarian parents, family conflicts, litigious divorces can lead the student to
feel rejected and begin to disregard his school career, adopting an
undisciplined behavior
-The social origin, especially families with low economic resources, where the
greatest percentage of school failures is found
-The cultural values of families with low economic resources are, according to
some sociologists, opposed to those that the school proposes and supposes
(individual merit, competitive spirit, etc.)
- Too little time to educate children

6.  Teachers:
- Teaching methods, didactic resources and communication techniques are
unsuitable for the characteristics of the class or of each student, leading to poor
pedagogical relationships that negatively influence the results
- Managing classroom discipline

7.  Schools:
- A high number of students per school and per class
- Very heterogeneous classes, which tends to increase conflict and affect individual
academic achievement
- the physical conditions of some educational establishments (lack of equipment,
central heating...)

8.  Curriculums:
- Curriculum deficiency; students begin new school cycles without the pre-required
knowledge or skills
- High academic load and heavy schedules
- Overloaded school curricula that do not allow teachers to use active methodologies
where students may play the key role

9.  Society
- Current society is based on a set of values that discourage studying (fun, individualism
and consumerism), three values that schools avoid teaching

10. Brief summary of the previsously presented factors and other
aspects to be considered
Society
Social structure
Educational requirements
Family
Socioeconomic level
Cultural identity
Dedication
Expectations
Education system
Public expenditure
Teacher training
Curriculum flexibility
Assessment and certification system
School
Socioeconomic level
School culture
Management and coordination
Participation
Class
Attitude and expectations
Teaching method
Evaluation
Student
Capacity
Motivation
Social and affective development
Behaviour

11. Mainland Portugal and autonomous regions

12. Dropout rate in Portugal :
- Portugal: 13,7%
Male: 16,4% Female: 11,0%
Source: INE, Pordata
Agrupamento de Escolas Alfândega da Fé: 0%
Source: Projeto Educativo Agrupamento de Escolas Alfândega da Fé

13. Measures taken by our Group of Schools to combat failure/dropouts
Strategic Action Plan containing 6 measures:
1- Teaching practice in the subject of Portuguese
2- Teaching practice in the subject of Maths
3- Teaching practice in Experimental Sciences
4- Teacher Supervision aiming at Professional Development
5- Measure aimed at integrating foreign students and their families
6- Measure aimed at improving students’ study habits

14. 1- Teaching practice in the subject of Portuguese
 Goals:
• Creating a pleasure for reading
• Promoting expressive reading
• Improving students’ writing skills and text organization
• Reducing students’ difficulties in writing
 Some activities: Reading/ludic activities; Bringing writers into our school;
Standardizing registration models for student assessment

15. 2- Teaching practice in the subject of Maths
 Goals:
• Providing students with the knowledge of and ability to use the
multiplication and division algorithms
• Providing students with problem solving skills
 Some activities: Selection of appealing/playful activities, according to
the students’ difficulties; Biweekly application of mini-tests

16. 3- Teaching practice in Experimental Sciences
 Goals:
• Promoting the experimental teaching of sciences following the scientific
method in order to integrate theory and practice during the exploration
of activities in order to increase educational success
• Fostering problem-based learning
 Some activities: Performing experimental activities following the scientific
method; Writing by the students of scientific reports according to their
grade

17. 4- Teacher Supervision aiming at Professional Development
 Goals:
- Implementing peer supervision and reflective practices at school
- Consolidating teamwork and collaboration skills
- Creating opportunities for professional development and self-regulation
of practice
- Adopting more diversified measures to promote school success
 Activities: Scheduling peer supervision classes, made by each
department (all teachers with a class participate); Collaborative
development of a script for reflection on classroom observation

18. 5-Measure aimed at integrating foreign students and their families
 Goals:
- Increasing attendance at PTO meetings by foreign students’ parents/tutors;
- Encouraging the appreciation of the school among these students and their
parents
- Promoting the training and participation of families in their children’s
educational path
- Promoting interculturality
 Activities: Classes of Portuguese as a Foreign Language for immigrant
students; Informational leaflet about the school and the importance of
school attendance translated into Bulgarian; Hiring an intercultural mediator

19. 6-Measure aimed at improving students’ study habits
 Goals:
- Improving student autonomy and responsibility
- Standardizing class rules
- Motivating learning through the diversity of strategies
- Promoting autonomous study habits and work methods adapted to individual
needs
 Activities: Providing a class time for study support activities; Valuing students’
merit, dedication and effort through the maintenance of the “Best Class”
Award and the School Honours and Excellence Boards; Implementation of a
Tutoring Program

20. Official websites about dropouts and failure in Portugal
https://www.ine.pt/xportal/xmain?xpid=INE&xpgid=ine_base_dados Statistics of
Portugal, Official dates, Instituto Nacional de Estatística
http://www.pordata.pt/Portugal Statistics of Portugal Pordata: Fundação Francisco
Manuel dos Santos
http://www.pordata.pt/Portugal/Taxa+de+abandono+precoce+de+educa
%c3%a7%c3%a3o+e+forma%c3%a7%c3%a3o+total+e+por+sexo-433 Statistics of Portugal,
Pordata: Fundação Francisco Manuel dos Santos
http://observatorio-das-desigualdades.cies.iscte.pt/index.jsp?page=indicators&id=27
Observatory of Inequalities, Indicators: early school leavers