This document discusses the high dropout rate among Hispanic males in the United States. It provides statistics showing that Hispanic students enter high school at high rates but many do not receive a diploma, especially males. The author then outlines their study which examines perspectives from Hispanic male dropouts, their mothers, teachers, and administrators on the reasons for dropping out. A literature review covers topics like school reform, achievement gaps, parent involvement, and characteristics of dropouts. The research design uses focus groups and interviews to collect data from these groups to identify common themes in their perspectives.

1. Why is there a high dropout
rate among Hispanic males?
By: Wanda I. Figueroa

2. Study Interest
• 1981 – My family moved to Texas
• My brother was re-classified as an 11th grader due to
lack of credits, not intelligence.
• No motivation
• Placed in ESL program
• No teacher-student relationship
• No parent involvement with the school

3. Introduction – U.S. Statistics
• As of July 1, 2008 the Hispanic population is 46.9 million,
making the Hispanic population the nation’s largest
ethnic group.
• Many Hispanic parents bring their children to this country
to increase opportunities and have chance to a
prosperous life.
• Even though Hispanic students enter high school at a
fast rate, many are not receiving their high school
diploma, especially males.

4. Statement of Problem
• Educators are faced with the challenge to teach all
students, U.S. born and immigrants. As the number of
Hispanics students in our schools increases, so does the
number of Hispanics who do not graduate from high
school.

5. Statement of Problem
2000 16-19 Yrs Dropouts (Fry 2003)
W
Caucasians 8%
African Americans 12%
Hispanics 21%
•What can be done to decrease the number of high school dropouts among
Hispanic males?

6. Purpose of Study
• The purpose of the study is to see if the Hispanic males
themselves and the various group of people involved
with the boys have the same or different perspective of
the reasons why the students dropped out of school.

7. Research Questions
• Why is there a high drop out rate among Hispanic males?
• Do the male Hispanics themselves and the various group
of people involved (the teachers, the administrators, the
mothers, and the boys themselves) have the same or
different perspective as to why the students dropped out
of school?
• What is the problem?
• What is the solution?

8. Review of Literature:
School Reform
• No Child Left Behind Act (2002) – The children of
immigrants represent one in five of all U.S. citizens.
(Capps et al., 2005, p.1)
• From rage to hope: Strategies for Reclaiming Black and
Hispanic students (1992) – Standardized testing should
not be used as a way to place students in classes or
programs.
(Kuykendall, 1992, p.43)

9. Review of Literature:
Achievement Gap
• Closing the achievement gap (2001) - By 1999, 1:50
Hispanics could read and understand the information from
specialized text as compared to 1:12 Caucasian students.
In math, 1:30 Hispanics can do multi-step problem solving
elementary algebra as compared to 1:10 Caucasian
students.
• The results of a study by staff members at the Education
Trust conclude that many of them had the same thought
about Hispanic students. When the students were asked
the students asked about how un-prepared the teachers
are as well as not knowing the content taught.
(Haycock, 2001)

10. Review of Literature:
Achievement Gap
• From rage to hope: Strategies for Reclaiming Black and
Hispanic students (1992)
– Have diverse curriculum
– Foster a positive academic self-image
– Build teacher-student relationships
(Kuykendall, 1992)

11. Review of Literature:
Parent Involvement
• Family Meltdown in the classroom (1996) –
– Children today receive less care from their parents because of
single-parent household.
– Once students reach the 8th grade only half of the parents had any
contact with the school during that current school year.
(Zinsmeister, 1996)
• No Child Left Behind Act (2002) –
– Hispanic parents who do not have Visas do not build a
relationship with the school due to fear of deportation or other type
of problems with immigration.
(Capps et al., 2005, p.9)

12. Review of Literature:
Dropouts
Socioeconomic Status
Low 10%
Medium 5%
High 2%

13. Review of Literature:
Dropouts
• Students who demonstrate poor academic achievement
by the age of 14, drop out before finishing 10th grade.
• Children who enjoy a good parent-child relationship
during their middle school years, is more likely to
graduate from high school.
(Englund et al., 2008, p.79)

14. Review of Literature:
Dropouts
• The transition from middle school into high school is
critical.
• Lack of proper schooling in the native country
• Not holding Hispanic students to a high standard
(Nesman, 2007)

15. Research Design
Four focus groups will be interviewed
• Hispanic males that are dropouts
• The mothers of the dropout students
• Teachers
• Administrators

16. Research Tool
The focus groups will be part of an
interview. The interview will consist
of open-ended questions.

17. Data Collecting Procedure
• The data will be collected through
focus groups.
• The interview will be conducted in
four open forums.

18. Emerging Themes
• The answers of all focus groups will be
categorized into common themes.
• Participant responses will be categorized as
follows:
– Student motivation – Individual level of
Bronfenbrenner
– Parent involvement – Microsystem
– Parent – child relationship - Microsystem
– Teacher – student relationship - Microsystem
– Administration – student relationship – Microsystem
– School – student relationship - Mesosystem

19. Research Design Procedure
• The research design for this study will be
a cross between typology analysis and
domain analysis.
– Typology analysis is a type of classification
system that is taken from patterns and
themes (Ratcliff, n.d.).
– Domain analysis will “describe the social
situation and the cultural patterns within it”
(Ratcliff, n.d.).

20. References
Capps, R., Fix, M., Murray, J., Ost, J., Passel, F. S., & Herwantoro, S.
(2005). The new demography of American’s schools: Immigration and
the No Child Left Behind Act. Retrieved from The Urban Institute:
www.urban.org
Englund, M. M., Egeland, B., & Collins, W. A. (2008). Exceptions to high
school dropout predictions in a low-income sample: Do adults make a
difference?. Journal of Social Issues, 64(1), 77-93. Retrieved from
http://www.ebscohost.com/
Fry, R. (2003). . Retrieved from Hispanic youth dropping out of U.S.
schools: Measuring the challenge:
www.coloradoea.org/media/phcdropoutreport.pdf

21. References
Haycock, K. (2001, March). Closing the achievement gap.
EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP, 58(6), 6-11. Retrieved from
www.scholar.google.com
Kuykendall, C. (1992). From rage to hope: Strategies for reclaiming
Black and Hispanics students. Bloomington, IN: National Education
Service.
Nesman, T. M. (2007, October). A participatory study of school dropout
and behavioral health of Latino adolescents. The Journal of
Behavioral Health Services & Research, 34(4), 414-430. doi:
http://search.ebscohost.com
Zinsmeister, K. (1996). Family meltdown in the classroom. American
Enterprise, 7(5), 42-45. Retrieved from http://www.EBSCO.com