HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUT FACTORS: IS THE TREND CHANGING AND WHAT STRATEGIES ARE NEEDED?

Low high school graduation and high dropout rates remain issues in the United States. A gap in rates among ethnicities is observable from national dropout data and suggests the need to consider factors associated with dropping out, given that often intervention and prevention strategies fail to target factors associated with students at risk of school failure. A mixed-methods study explored differences in archived dropout rates over a period of 12 years and teachers' perceptions of dropout factors for two high schools in a large urban school district in Southeast Texas.  The results revealed dropout rates differed between the two schools at post intervention with increased dropout rates for both schools rather than decreased rates. Major conclusions include that absenteeism remains a trending factor for high school dropout rates and leads to poor grades and low levels of literacy. Implications for school and district wide intervention support strategies are discussed.