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New analysis of the costs of dropping out of school

The dropout problem – a $593-million hit to Montreal’s economy

Among the findings of an update to the costs of dropping out of school: a loss of productivity equivalent to $593 million.

This analysis was conducted as part of a new study on school perseverance and work/school balance during a period of labour shortages.

The updated data paint a picture of significant economic and social impacts for both the individual who drops out and society as a whole. They include:

  • a weaker economy
  • increased healthcare costs
  • higher costs related to crime
  • greater inequality among social classes and genders
For more details on the costs of dropping out:

 

View the infographic 

Read the entire text (French only), on pages 39 to 47 of the study.

 

 

New study on labour shortages and graduation rates

Commissioned by the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal and Réseau réussite Montréal, in partnership with the Regroupement des cégeps de Montréal.


Declining enrollment in vocational training, adult general education, and among adults at CEGEP

Signs point to a decline in graduation rates due to the appeal of jobs during a period of labour shortages.

Couverture - Étude Persévérance scolaire et conciliation études-travail : une piste de solution à la pénurie de main-d’œuvreDropping out of school has significant consequences for both the individual and society.

Which makes the findings of this study all the more worrisome. Certain signs point to possible increases in the dropout rate and of unfinished CEGEP diplomas. The cause? Current economic conditions make it very easy to get a job requiring little or no qualifications.

But in the coming years, the number of low-skilled jobs will decline in favour of more highly qualified positions, meaning that young people who leave school or fail to complete later stages of their education will be in a weaker position. By neglecting their education to fill a low-skill job, they may lack the capacity to transition to a more highly qualified position if their job is later eliminated.

One way to encourage young people to graduate, which benefits all of society, is to foster the development of models that allow young people to have jobs while still focusing on their education.

It’s a fascinating read.

Read the study   (French only)

Read the highlights (French only)

Our summer newsletter is out !

Newsletter – June 2019

In this issue: the benefits of summer reading, projects led by and for young people and recent publications on the drop-out issue.


The benefits of summer reading

Greetings,

With summer vacation on our doorstep, some of you may be concerned about loss of academic achievements during the holidays.

Here’s a simple idea to prevent this from happening: read and play word games this summer! Support children in maintaining their skills and having fun while doing it by reading and telling stories around a campfire, making up songs during car trips, giving your grandchildren a journal in which they can paste photos and stories about their holidays, and creating fun and informal ways to integrate reading into their everyday lives.

Organizations can also help children maintain their skills through reading. For example:

  • A day camp organizes a session of reading aloud from a book that inspired the camp’s theme of the week.
  • Municipal wading pools provide bath books in the toddlers bathing area for reading in the water.
  • The local library has a table displaying young adult book series for teenagers who are travelling with their parents!

To reduce educational gaps that may widen among children and teens over the summer (depending on their access to books), facilitate their access to books and literacy activities on diverse platforms and contexts during the summer holidays.

 

On behalf of the whole team at Réseau réussite Montréal, I wish you a summer filled with small pleasures in the company of those you love.

Andrée Mayer-Périard

Executive Director, Réseau réussite Montréal

 

– > Read the June Issue of our Newsletter

YOUR MONTRÉAL SCHOOL PERSEVERANCE NEWSLETTER // April 2018

In this issue: girls and dropping out

Did you know that 43 percent of Montréal dropouts in 2014 were girls?

There is much concern about the academic success of boys – and with good reason. Many actions in this regard are starting to bear fruit, and the dropout rate among boys is declining. The dropout rate among girls is also declining, but more slowly. So the dropout rates for girls and boys are now separated by just a few percentage points.

The realities specific to boys are well known, but those of girls are much less well-documented. And though the dropout rate among girls and boys is now similar, the specific realities related to girls’ dropping out are rarely part of the public debate on this issue. Which is why Réseau réussite Montréal has been examining this issue for several years.

In this edition of the newsletter, we present a number of research findings that we hope will spark a conversation among you and your colleagues about how this issue affects your organization.

Enjoy.

Andrée Mayer-Périard
Executive Director, Réseau réussite Montréal

>> VIEW OUR LATEST NEWSLETTER HERE 

Reading for pleasure: effective actions to motivate 10-20-year-olds

The habit of reading regularly is on the decline among 10–20-year-olds.

So how can we motivate them to read, understand their needs, and learn the best practices in this area. The Centre de transfert pour la réussite éducative du Québec (CTREQ) has produced an inventory of knowledge and the state of research on this issue and offers practical measures to encourage young people to discover or rediscover the pleasure of reading.

Document: Reading for pleasure: effective actions to motivate 10-20-year-olds

Québec government invests in school perseverance initiatives of Montreal Hooked on School

Press release

Québec government invests in school perseverance initiatives of  Montreal Hooked on School

Montreal, May 30, 2016 – Montreal Hooked on School (MHS) is extremely pleased with the Québec government’s announcement to invest nearly $2.8 million in MHS’s initiatives to promote school perseverance among young Montrealers.

“We thank the government for this vote of confidence in Montreal Hooked on School’s capacity to mobilize Montreal society and organizations from all sectors toward engagement in school perseverance. This investment will allow us to continue the work we started in 2009 with our local and regional partners,” notes Pierre Boulay, first vice-chair of Montreal Hooked on School’s board of trustees and director general of the Commission scolaire de la Pointe-de-l’Île.

MHS: helping communities mobilize around school perseverance

The government announced the funding for Montreal Hooked on School this morning at Calixa-Lavallée high school in Montréal-Nord. The school’s close ties with the local community include hosting the organization Programme Horizon Jeunesse. This collaboration between Calixa-Lavallée, Horizon Jeunesse, and other local stakeholders is a tangible illustration of how a mobilized community can benefit young people. “We must work together for our young people! Here in Montréal-Nord, we have a number of projects that involve the entire community. Thanks to the support of Montreal Hooked on School, we have school/family/community partnership agents who work with all local schools and organizations, which benefits all of our young people and their families. MHS has also helped Programme Horizon Jeunesse build partnerships and broaden its activities to include initiatives designed to help youth develop their professional aspirations,” explains Pierre-Richard Simon, director of Programme Horizon Jeunesse.

A strategy to support coordinated local initiatives

Montréal-Nord is one of the neighbourhoods where MHS has implemented its strategy to support and guide coordinated local action. This strategy focuses on coordinating the priorities of schools and communities and on partnerships between organizations in order to help young people persevere and succeed in school. This joint engagement of stakeholders has borne fruit: more youth in Montréal-Nord are staying in school. “The new impetus provided by Montreal Hooked on School has allowed us to come together as a community and concentrate on the actions that benefit young people the most. We are now seeing the tangible results of these joint efforts: a reduction in the dropout rate at local-area schools. But the work isn’t finished yet; we also must persevere to ensure that all of our young people succeed at school,” stresses Dominic Blanchette, principal of Calixa-Lavallée high school.

School perseverance in Montreal: the situation is improving

The high school graduation rate in Montreal has risen from 67.7 percent in 2009 to 76 percent in 2014. These numbers reflect the tireless work of hundreds of organizations and stakeholders in all sectors working with parents, teachers, and school administrations to help kids succeed at school. However, the dropout rate remains significant: one young Montrealer in five still drops out before getting a high school diploma or equivalent. To achieve and surpass the Québec government graduation-rate target (80 percent by 2020), we must continue to improve the situation of young people in Montreal.

Montréal-Nord by the numbers (French-language schools)

  • Rate of high-school leaving without a high school diploma or qualification: 6 to 35.0 percent (depending on school)
  • Rate of vulnerability of kindergarten-aged children in at least one developmental domain:8 to 40.7 percent (depending on sub-territory)
  • Socio-economic environment index (IMSE) decile: 9 to 10 (depending on school) (decile 1 comprises schools with students primarily from the most privileged environments, while decile 10 comprises schools with students primarily from the most underprivileged environments – source: Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur)

 

About Montreal Hooked on School

Montreal Hooked on School is Montreal’s regional consulting authority on school perseverance. With the support of 33 regional members, including the island’s five school boards, MHS mobilizes and catalyzes Montreal stakeholders in a coordinated effort to implement activities that help young people persevere and succeed in school or reengage with school. In 2014–15, as part of its strategy to support and guide local coordinated action, MHS took part in developing and carrying out 16 action plans and supported the implementation of 165 initiatives that affected 49,184 children, students, and parents in 11 of Montreal’s most sensitive neighbourhoods. In addition, through its regional efforts, MHS guided work on broader issues related to school perseverance, such as school perseverance and gender, work/school balance and Hooked on School Days.

L’engagement des parents : rôles, attentes et enjeux

Parental engagement: roles, expectations, and issues

200 school perseverance stakeholders gathered at the Grande Bibliothèque to discuss the myriad facets of parental engagement in children’s educational experience. The presentation of research findings sparked a consideration of the roles and expectations of parents and other educational stakeholders, of the issues related to parental engagement, and of how to promote the value of such engagement.

The presentation was followed by a panel to present initiatives and shed light on the conditions that promote parental engagement and on traps to avoid.

Speakers and presentations

Presentation

Parental engagement: roles, expectations and issues [PowerPoint Presentation] (French only)

Serge J. Larivée, Ph. D.
Associate Professor
Faculty of Education
Department of Psychopedagogy and Andragogy
Université de Montréal

Initiatives panel

Sault-au-Récollet Project [PowerPoint Presentation] (French only)

  • Anne-Geneviève Ialongo, Principal, La Visitation school
  • Christian Lacombe, Principal, Saints-Martyrs-Canadiens school
  • Brigitte Robert, Community Mobilization Officer, Centre de ressources éducatives et communautaires pour adultes

Spaghetti Nights Family Workshops [PowerPoint Presentation] (French only)

  • Matthew Albert, Educational Consultant, Lester B. Pearson School Board
  • Anurag Dhir, Community Engagement Coordinator, Social Equity and Diversity Education Office, McGill University

Immigrant students and success in high school

A research team studying immigration, equity, and schooling (Groupe de recherche Immigration, équité et scolarisation—GRIES) joined forces with Montreal Hooked on School to launch 13 summary documents about the high school success of students from immigrant backgrounds.  To help disseminate the group’s conclusion and determine their effects on programs and practices, over 150 representatives from all sectors gathered at the Commission scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys for a half-day of discussions on the highlights of these documents.

Facilitator

Marie Mc Andrew
Full professor, Canada Senior Research Chair on Education and Ethnic Relations
Faculty of Education, Université de Montréal
Director, GRIES

Speakers

Presentation of documents and discussions of GRIES research results

  • Marie Mc Andrew
    Full professor, Canada Senior Research Chair on Education and Ethnic Relations
    Faculty of Education, Université de Montréal
    Director, GRIES
  • Jacques Ledent
    Research professor
    Centre Urbanisation Culture et Société
    Institut national de la recherche scientifique
    Member of GRIES
  • M. Alhassane Balde
    Ph.D., Université Paris-Descartes
    Post-doctoral fellow, Faculty of Education, Université de Montréal
    Member of GRIES
  • Mme Masha Bakhshaei
    Ph.D candidate
    Faculty of Education, Université de Montréal

Presentations

Video of presentation (French only)

PowerPoint Presentation (French only)

Summary documents: “La réussite au secondaire des élèves issus de l’immigration” (French only)

Key topic: Students from immigrant backgrounds (French only)

La persévérance scolaire, une question de genre?

School perseverance. A gender issue?

Over 250 partners from all sectors attended this talk on gender-differentiated approaches to promoting school perseverance and success. The panellists discussed the topic from the perspective of Montreal-specific characteristics of school perseverance. Québec Minister of Education, Recreation and Sport Marie Malavoy was also in attendance to give the keynote address.

Facilitator

Michel Venne, Executive Director and Founder, Institut du Nouveau Monde

Speakers

Round table: “School perseverance. A gender issue?”

  • Pierre Potvin, Full professor, Psychoeducation, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivière; Research consultant for CTREQ
  • Monique Brodeur, Dean, Faculty of Education, Université du Québec à Montréal
  • Isabelle Archambault, Professor, Psychoeducation, Université de Montréal

Presentations

Video of event (French only)