NOTES..............................

According to a national survey, students who dropped out of high school while maintaining a high GPA and working hard through their own motivation did so because they did not think the classes were interesting (47 percent), did not find the school interesting (42 percent), and lack of motivation and aspirations (69 percent) (Bridgeland, DiIulio, & Morison, 2006, p. iii). 

The dropouts have a negative impact on the economy requiring states and the federal government to spend money each year for the construction of new jails/prisons (Dillon, 2009). 

The problem puts the US in a less competitive position as a nation (The Alliance for Excellent Education, 2007).

High school dropouts are students “16- through 24-year-olds who are not enrolled in high school and who lack a high school credential” (National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 2010, Table A-19-2).  Credentials include “high school diploma or equivalent credential such as a General Educational Development (GED) certificate” (NCES, 2010, Table A-19-2).

The most prominent indicators that a student is at risk of dropping out of high school during their first year of high school are (1) absent more than ten percent of the time, (2) two or more failed core course(s), (3) grade point average is below 2.0, and/or (4) has not completed a minimum of one-fourth of the credits needed to graduate (Heppen & Therriault, 2008, Table 2). 

The most impacting factors affecting high school dropouts' attitudes about finishing high school were behavioral (e.g. motivation, class participation, homework completion, attendance and their relationships with their teachers) (Somers, et al., 2009).  The students did exhibit a strong desire to finish high school but needed some help in converting that desire into their academic performance (Somers, et al., 2009).