Don’t Pull Yourself up by Your Bootstraps: A Study of One School District’s Success in Latinx Youth Dropout Prevention
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Date
2021-09-13
Authors
Bertrand, Anahid
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
In recent years, the United States has focused attention and resources on increasingthe number of students who graduate from high school, addressing an area of national
concern: the large proportion of students who drop out of school prior to earning their
diploma. As recently as 2004, more than 15% of high schools in the United States
reported more students dropping out than receiving diplomas. Dropout issues are
particularly prominent in urban and rural areas with high poverty rates. One reason for
prioritizing dropout prevention is the high economic and societal cost associated with
dropout. Students who fail to graduate face long-term consequences such as low wages,
poor health, unemployment, and incarceration.
This mixed methods dissertation uses a case study approach to research a school
district located in the Pacific Northwest that has been particularly successful in reducing
the number of students who drop out prior to graduation. Four years of district dropout
data were used to analyze the trends in dropout reduction across four school years
extending from 2015-2019 and an extant data set from the district’s Student Needs
Assessment survey was used to determine what differences, if any, there are in the self-reported experiences of Latinx students as compared to students from all other ethnic
groups in the school district. In-depth semi-structured interviews, conducted with seven
different key personnel from the district were used to gather information about the
strategies, approaches, and programs the district was using to achieve their dramatic
results.
Results underscore the importance of having a shared goal, shared “ownership” of
the students, listening to student voice, teaching the process of relationship building,
access to and use of holistic data and hiring and supporting staff in efforts to reduce
dropout rates. Findings suggest that social capital is the key construct supporting
increased student graduation, with academic confidence, familial support, student voice,
and options capital all contributing to the establishment of solid relationships that are at
the center of the district’s success. Suggestions for future research and implications for
practice are discussed.