The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand teachers’ perceptions of dropout prevention strategies used in one alternative school and describe how the teachers perceived the dropout prevention strategies used to decrease the dropout rates and increase the graduation rates of alternative school students. The study examined the primary research question: How are dropout prevention strategies used in this alternative school? The National Dropout Prevention Strategies for Alternative Schools were used to frame this research. The strategies were grouped in three areas: building student skills, promoting teacher quality, and promoting a positive school culture and climate. The relevant data regarding the case of this alternative school were collected using an alternative school teacher interview protocol, demographic survey, and the researcher’s field notes. Support data included existing state, district, and school data files. The results of the research study showed that teachers’ perspectives of the National Dropout Prevention Center’s (NDPC’s) most effective strategies for alternative school to decrease dropout and increase graduation rates were present in varying degrees of implementation. The teachers’ responses indicated the strongest area of implementation was in positive school culture and climate. Teachers’ responses also indicated that specialized staff development was limited.

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The purpose of this research was to determine if there was a difference in the scores of students on the “What Helped Me to Become Successful in the Ninth Grade?” survey between the retained and promoted students who had been taught by teachers who had Capturing Kids’ Hearts (CKH) training during 2007-08 school year. The students in one Mid-Atlantic Virginia, urban school were the study population. Students who had completed the ninth grade on time with teachers who had CKH training were compared with students who had been retained with teachers who had the CKH training were asked to complete a student perception survey. A mean score on a 25-item Student Perception Survey for each item was computed for the two groups of students who were in this high school during the 2007-08 school year and remained during the 2008-09 school year. Particular attention was given to nine questions that focused on relationship issues. A t-test was utilized to determine if there was a significant difference between comparative data on the mean for the two groups of students. In all nine of the relationship questions, there was no statistical significant difference in the mean of the responses for the repeat ninth grade students and the on time tenth grade students. The responses to the relationship questions indicated that the training the teachers received had a similar effect on students whether they were on time tenth grade students or repeat ninth grade students. The percentage of repeat ninth grade students had a higher percentage than the tenth grade students of agree responses on five of the nine relationship questions. Additionally, the median for the repeat ninth grade participants was higher on six of the nine relationship questions; therefore, the repeat ninth grade students had a stronger response to the relationship questions than the on time tenth grade students. The CKH training was a three-day off site learning experience for ninth grade teachers that provided tools to build positive, productive, and trusting relationships among themselves and their students. The EXCEL Model utilized five distinctive training areas: (a) engaging, (b) exploring, (c) communicating, (d) empowering, and (e) launching. The focus for students included developing skills that could affect their school success. / Ph. D.

Although school districts in Florida have reported a decrease in the overall dropout rate, the dropout rate among African American males remains higher than it does for any other ethnic group. Guided by Ogbu's oppositional culture theory, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to investigate the high dropout rate among African American males and determine some of the social, cultural, educational, and economic elements that may hinder African American males from completing high school. A purposive sample of 10 African American males who dropped out of high school and who were between the ages of 18 and 35 was selected to participate in this study. Thirty open-ended interviews were conducted, and the data were analyzed using an open coding system. Twelve themes emerged that provided evidence of the complex factors associated with dropping out. The major themes included lack of motivation from parents and teachers, disengagement from the educational institution, economic challenges related to poverty, and peer influence. It is recommended that programs and curricula be developed and implemented that would create opportunities to build positive relationships between African American male students and their teachers, parents, and peers. Positive social change could occur with an increase in the graduation rate of African American male students, which would offer a more educated work force for the community.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 140-146). Also available by subscription via World Wide Web.