Children from low-income families do face a higher risk of dropping out of school, which is a widespread social problem on a global scale. The following analyzes this phenomenon and the causes behind it from multiple dimensions： --- ### **1. Status of data support** -**Global data**: Statistics from the World Bank show that the dropout rate of low- and middle-income families in low-income countries is more than three times that of high-income families (such as Sub-Saharan Africa). Even in developed countries, such as the United States, the dropout rate of high school students from low-income families is 2.5 times that of high-income families (NCES data). -**China case **: According to the 2021 "China Yearbook of Education Statistics", the dropout rate of junior high school in rural areas is about 1.8%, which is significantly higher than that of urban areas (0.5%), of which poor families account for more than 60%. --- ### **2. The main drivers of dropping out of school** ####**(1)Direct economic pressure** -**Explicit costs**: Tuition fees, textbook fees, transportation fees, etc. account for 20%-50% of the income of poor families (estimated by UNESCO), and many families are forced to choose to let their children work in agriculture. -**Opportunity cost**: The youth labor force can contribute 30% of household income in some developing regions, and the short-term economic return is very attractive. ####**(2)Imbalance in structural education resources** -**Differences in teachers**: The proportion of teachers with a bachelor's degree or above in rural primary schools in China is 40% lower than in urban areas (2020 data from the Ministry of Education). -**Digital Divide**: During the epidemic, approximately 460 million students worldwide were interrupted in their studies due to lack of access to online education equipment (report by UNICEF). ####**(3)Lack of cultural and social capital** -**Parents' education level**: An OECD study found that the dropout rate of children whose parents have less than middle school education is 6 times that of families with college degrees. -**Limitations of social networks**: Low-income families have less access to higher education information and insufficient support for further education planning. ####**(4)Psychological and health factors** -**Nutrition issues**: Ethiopian studies have shown that the learning ability of children with anemia is 15% lower than that of healthy children. -**Psychological stress**: Family conflicts caused by economic hardship increase the risk of depression in adolescents by 3 times (APA study). --- ### **3. Effectiveness of interventions** -**Cash transfer plan** (such as the Prospera project in Mexico): reduce the dropout rate by 22%, but supporting employment support is required. -**Free Lunch Plan** (India Mid-Day Meal Scheme): Increased school enrollment by 11%, especially girls have benefited significantly. -**Community intervention** (Off-campus learning center in Vietnam): Increased the primary school completion rate of ethnic minority children by 18%. --- ### **4. Deep-seated contradictions** -**Long cycle of return on education**: In extremely poor areas, basic education may not be able to quickly improve livelihoods and reduce families' willingness to invest. -**Institutional exclusion**: Migrant children face restrictions on their academic status in cities (for example, some cities in China require "five certificates" to enroll in school), artificially creating barriers to education. --- ### **5. Breakthrough path** -**Technology empowerment**: Kenya's Elimu Education Tablet Project has improved the performance of students in poor areas by 30% at low cost. -**Policy innovation**: Brazil's "Financial Aid Quota Law" requires federal universities to reserve 50% of the places for graduates of public secondary schools. -**Participation of social enterprises**: The "New Oriental Rural Teacher Program" has trained 30,000 teachers in ten years, indirectly affecting one million students. --- ###**Conclusion** The essence of the problem of dropping out of school is the embodiment of the "poverty trap" in the field of education. Breakthroughs require a multi-dimensional synergy of economic assistance (short-term), system reform (medium-term), and cultural reshaping (long-term). It is worth noting that some countries and regions (such as Vietnam and Estonia) have significantly narrowed the education gap within 20 years through comprehensive interventions, proving the possibility of structural change. Behind every dropout figure is the possibility of being folded in life. Solving this problem is not only the redistribution of educational resources, but also the defense of the bottom line of social equity.