This paper examines the extent of the high school dropout problem in 1979 and investigates both the stated reasons students leave school and some of the underlying factors influencing their decision. Particular attention is focused on differences by sex, race, and family background. Data for this research come from a new, national sample of youth who were 14 to 21 years of age in 1979. A multivariate model is developed to estimate the effects of family background and other factors on the decision to drop out of school. Several results emerge from the study: The reasons students cite for leaving school vary widely, with women more likely to leave because of pregnancy or marriage and men more likely to leave to go to work; family background strongly influences the propensity to drop out of school and accounts for virtually all the racial differences in dropout rates; various other factors, including ability and aspirations, also influence this decision.

Dropping Out of High School: The Influence of Race, Sex, and Family Background

To better understand the underlying causes behind students’ decisions for dropping out, we reviewed the past 25 years of research on dropouts. The review was based on 203 published studies that analyzed a variety of national, state, and local data to identify statistically significant predictors of high school dropout and graduation. Although in any particular study it is difficult to demonstrate a causal relationship between any single factor and the decision to quit school, a large number of studies with similar findings does suggest a strong connection.

https://www.hws.edu/about/pdfs/school_dropouts.pdf

Why Students Drop Out of School: A Review of 25 Years of Research

1. Introduction 2. Entrepreneurship and economic growth 3. Regional variation in entrepreneurial activity 4. Human capital and entrepreneurship 5. Entrepreneurship and employment growth 6. Summary and conclusions 7. A formulation of entrepreneurship policy.

/pdf/entrepreneurship-geography-and-american-economic-growth-hklnn6nufu.pdf

Entrepreneurship, Geography, and American Economic Growth

The relationship between dropping out of high school and substance use was explored using the National Longitudinal Survey of Young Adults, a national longitudinal sample of young Americans aged 19-27 in 1984. Cross-sectional data indicated that high school dropouts were more involved with cigarettes and illicit drugs than were graduates and that those who obtained a graduate equivalency diploma were the most intensely involved. Event-history analysis indicates that, controlling for other important risk factors, prior use of cigarettes, marijuana, and other illicit drugs increases the propensity to drop out and that the earlier the initiation into drugs, the greater the probability of premature school leaving. Thus, preventing or at least delaying the initiation of drug use will reduce the incidence of dropping out from our nation's high schools.

/pdf/dropping-out-of-high-school-and-drug-involvement-21wvlnxjoe.pdf

Dropping out of high school and drug involvement.

Two studies were conducted to obtain comprehensive information about ifted high school dropouts and to examine factors that are related to their dropout behavior using the Dropout and Student questionnaires of the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88). The results indicated that mwny gifted dropouts were from low socioeconomic-status families and racial minority groups; had parents with low levels of education; and participated less in extracurricular activities. Also, reasons for gifted male dropouts were More related to econornic issues, while reasons for gifted teniale dropouts were more related to personal issues, although both males and femiales were likely to offer school-related reasons. The logistic regression analysis results indicated that dropout behavior for gifted students was significantly related to students' educational aspirations. pregnancy or child-rearing, gender, father's highest level of education, and mother's highest level of education.

Gifted Dropouts: The Who and the Why:

The correlates and presumable causes for dropping out: The phenomenon is more complex than might have been expected.

Artis J. Palmo

Papers

High School Dropout: Psychological, Academic, and Vocational Factors.

The Relationship of Performance on the CMI to Intelligence with Disadvantaged Youngsters.

The Effect of Decisions and Outcomes on the Career Maturity of High School Students.