"I am convinced that teaching people the basics of our legal system will lead to more community involvement, which will in turn benefit not just the students, but their children and their entire community."
--Amanda DuBois
Encourage Retention and Completion by Providing Working Students with a Legal Education
Over 45% of all college undergraduates are in public 2-year institutions. The completion rate for community college students is 22% in any given year. Seventy-eight percent of students drop out every year.
Contrary to public perception, students do not drop out because of money. A recent Gates Foundation study discovered that 56% of students dropped out because they were unable to balance the demands of school and work. Teaching students how to cope with legal issues at work is one sure way to make sure they do not drop out of class to deal with those issues.
To take an example, the average company loses 51 hours per employee per year to an employee who’s coping with legal issues. For students who don’t know what to do, legal issues at work exacerbate and endanger any existing the work / school balance.
And of course community college students are workings students. Sixty percent of community college students work 20 hours per week. More than 25% work over 35 hours per week. The balance between work and school must improve for students. What can you do to stem the dropout tide in an era of funding that awards grants based on student completion?
You can educate your students in areas of the law that will help them confidently navigate their working lives. More than half of those who are working will experience a legal issue at work that they must address successfully in order to succeed.
Civil Survival offers preventative legal education so that students learn their legal rights and responsibilities before a problem arises. Use Civil Survival to help your students live a more balanced – and successful – life.
