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Middle school and early high school dropouts have long troubled educators. However, research on this sad phenomenon has been far less than definitive as to the causes. In this research-based book, Roderick examines two critical factors impacting graduation or dropping out. They are school transition to middle school and from there to high school and, secondly, grade retention. The subjects of the study were students from an urban Massachusetts public school system. The author contends the notion that middle and high school dropouts can be predicted based on their grades and attendance in 4th grade. She also provides the strongest evidence to date that the experience of being retained in grade increases a student's chances of dropping out. This book gives us a new conception of the nature of school dropout in schools with high dropout rates.
List of contents
Introduction and Overview
The Policy Context: A Profile of the High School Dropout Problem
School Dropouts: A Literature Review
Examining the Relationship Between School Experiences and School Dropout: The Fall River Survey
What Do the School Careers of Dropouts and Graduates Look Like?
School Transitions and School Dropout: A Model for Investigating the Impact of School Transitions
Grade Retention and School Dropout: Investigating the Association
The Two Dropout Problems: A Framework for Dropout Prevention Policy
Policy and Research Implications
Appendixes
Bibliography
Index
About the author
MELISSA RODERICK is an Assistant Professor at the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago where she teaches courses in social policy, program evaluation, and quantitative analysis. She is interested in the social and academic development of adolescents and the determinants of successful transitions to work and adulthood. Her research focuses on the influence of school organization, policies, and practices on student outcomes, and issues in urban education and youth policy. She is currently studying curriculum tracking in high schools.
