The purpose of this study was to determine if specific characteristics of male students in a low socio-economic urban setting predispose them to successful high school completion. Rather than focusing on dropouts, this research focused on male students who are successful high school completers. They were compared to one another in order to find correlations among variables which made them successful in completing high school. While research exists detailing the reasons students choose to drop out of school, the factors that lead to successful graduation from high school have yet to be determined. This research addresses that gap. This study addresses two research questions: (a) are there common factors among male students from a low socio-economic urban setting which predispose them to successful high school completion and (b) what are the common factors among male students from a low socio-economic urban setting which predispose them to successful high school completion? The information found in the review of related literature and research indicated that the variables (preschool education participation, sports/extracurricular activity participation, family configuration, participation in faith-based organizations, parents’ educational attainment, sibling educational attainment, attendance, parental employment, participation in vocational studies, and participation in tutoring programs for high stakes exit exams) were appropriate for this study. An instrument was piloted to obtain information on the variables. Forty male students were randomly selected from 240 male students who graduated from Meridian High School during the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 school years. After collecting and analyzing the data using binomial distribution and chi-square analysis, the researcher drew several conclusions. Preschool participation, sibling educational attainment, attendance, family configuration, participation in a faith-based organization, parent educational attainment, parent employment, vocational program participation, and extracurricular activity/sport participation were reported by participants at statistically significant frequencies which could not be attributed to chance. The chi-square values indicate nine of the fiftyour possible variable pairs have statistically significant correlations. Conclusions and recommendations based on the findings of this study indicate that certain characteristics of students do contribute to high school completion. This study should be replicated with a larger sample in other locations to validate the findings.

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The context of this study centres on Higher Education in South Africa, the role that this sector plays in terms of economic development and the implications that face Institutional management in retaining students in the Higher Education system. Central to this study is the notion that student development theory can be used as a basis towards understanding the customers of Higher Education, how to better serve the customers needs and finally, retain students in the system through more effective management practices. The education sector is growing at an increasingly rapid rate as a result of strategic goals of countries and organisations such as the United Nations promoting the notion of education for all people (Altbach, Reisberg & Rumbley, 2009). The aim of the strategic goals adopted by developing countries in particular is to enhance the human capital or skills and knowledge of its people since education is a known contributor towards economic, social and political development. Higher Education in particular is known to contribute towards the human capital and economic development of a country. The Higher Education sector in South Africa for instance contributes approximately 1.5 percent to the country‟s gross domestic product (GDP), significantly higher than other industry sectors (apart from gold and agriculture) in the country (van Heerden, Bohlmann, Giesecke, Makochekanwa, & Roos, 2007). Figure 1.1 provides a context of the relevant importance of the higher education sector towards economic growth.

Dropping out of high school is an issue that has faced the educational system for years. At a high school in Mississippi, the dropout prevention plan implemented was not beneficial to all at-risk students because it mainly focused on academic issues. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand why students dropped out of high school and to gather strategies for a dropout prevention plan. The conceptual framework was based on 5 factors: general deviancy, deviant affiliation, family socialization, structural strain, and academic quandary. The research questions inquired about experiences that caused students to drop out and suggested strategies for a new dropout prevention plan. Data collection methods included interviews with 18 teachers, 3 counselors, and 20 former students who dropped out between 2007 and 2012. Interpretive data analysis was used to analyze data. Open and axial coding was used to develop themes about why students dropped out of high school. Those themes included behavioral issues, peer and work-related influences, family structure, school environment, and academic problems. Data analyses indicated that tutoring, staff development, mentoring, counseling, parental involvement, teenage mother programs, and alternative options were useful in preventing students from dropping out. These findings were used to develop a high school dropout prevention plan to benefit at-risk students. The overall goal for this project was to decrease high school dropout rates. By implementing the high school dropout prevention plan, schools may enable more students to further their education and become productive citizens within their communities.

The purpose of this study was to examine the mentor relationship in a mentor program and to investigate its effects on at-risk students in relationship to their motivation, communication, and self-concept. The mentor relationship was an essential component of the dropout prevention program. The dropout prevention program was a mentor model designed to help at-risk students improve their grades and attendance and stay in school. Subjects of the investigation were 70 ninth and tenth grade students at a central California high school. The mentor group was pre- and posttested with a Piers-Harris Self-Concept Scale. The mentor group and the mentors were given the Mentor/Mentee Relationship Questionnaire Survey and the Mentor Analysis Questionnaire Survey respectively. It was hypothesized that a mentor relationship had a significant impact on grades and attendance of at-risk students and influenced higher levels of motivation, communication and self-concept. The data were analyzed using statistical procedures of means, t-test, and the analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results of the study supported the development of the mentor relationship as consistent, effective, and beneficial to both mentor and mentee. There were insufficient data to support higher levels of trust and motivation among students who completed the mentor program. However, communication and self-concept scores were higher among those students (p $>$.05). Approximately 75 percent of at-risk students who participated and completed the dropout prevention program (mentor program) significantly improved their communication, self-concept, grades and attendance (p $>$.05). The quality and function of the mentor relationship contributed significantly to the effectiveness of the program.

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The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which online credit recovery is effective at allowing students to regain lost credits and to determine any differences that may exist in credit recovery based on a student's gender, socio-economic status, race/ethnicity, and course taken. This study analyzed these differences in respect to core and elective online credit recovery courses. Every school year, over 1.2 million students drop out of high school in the United States (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2001). One in four African American students and nearly one in five Hispanic students attend high schools where graduating is not the norm (United States Department of Education, 2013). Poor students (bottom 20 percent of all family incomes) are five times more likely to drop out of high school than high-income students (top 20 percent of all family incomes) (Chapman, Laird, Ifill, and KewalRamani, 2011). On average, 72 percent of male students earn a diploma compared with 78 percent of female students, a gender gap of 6 percentage points that has remained virtually unchanged for years (Education Week, 2013). Research has shown that students who miss or fail academic courses are at greater risk of dropping out of school than their peers. To re-engage these students researchers recommend that schools provide extra academic support (Dynarski, Clarke, Cobb, Finn, Rumberger, and Smink, 2008). Extra academic support has most recently come in the form of online credit recovery. The results of this study showed that online credit recovery is an effective instructional method for students in need of recovering lost core and elective credits. The results showed that females outperformed male students, and more affluent students recorded a higher pass rate than less fortunate students. Hispanic and Black students received a passing grade at a rate comparable to White students. Results varied depending on the course a student took. Instructional leaders, who are dedicated to the promotion of student learning and the quality of instruction, should consider it a priority to recognize the emerging trends in dropout prevention and to assess the effectiveness of online credit recovery programs. / Ed. D.

One of the most evident signs that a child is on the path to dropping out of [BT1] school is disengagement from school (Kortering & Christenson, 2009). Given the amount of time that young people spend with their peers and the influence that peers have (Monahan, Steinberg, & Caufman, 2009), there is a need to better understand the role that peers play in the decision to drop out of school (Farmer, Estell, Leug, Trott, Biship, & Caims, 2003). Using Ericson’s stages of psychosocial development (1956), social identity theory, and self-categorization theory as a framework, an afterschool program in the form of a social club was designed and implemented. The goal was to foster friendships between academically engaged students and disengaged students, using a short-term, cost effective intervention. It was hypothesized that the new friends would act as role models giving the disengaged students a more accurate perception of positive academic behaviors and the related benefits, thus leading to a positive change in academic engagement. This study used a mixed-methods design: a quantitative phase consisting of pretest-posttest surveys administered to teachers and students in order to assess possible changes in student academic engagement and a second pretest-posttest survey administered to students in order to determine if any new friendships between academically engaged and at-risk students had formed. A second, qualitative phase used focus groups to gain insight into the students’ perceptions of their academic experience. The findings of this study contribute to the current literature on dropout by providing insight into the possibility of utilizing peers as a catalyst to academic engagement in students who are at risk for school failure and high school drop out, in particular those with disabilities. In addition, the findings reiterate the importance of positive student-teacher relations and the importance of ongoing attempts to create those relations. The results of this study remind us that there is no single approach to solving the problem of high school dropout. However, by providing diverse opportunities for at-risk students to develop positive perceptions of the academic experience it is possible to ultimately increase academic engagement and reduce dropout. [BT1]Abstract body text must not exceed 350 words.

According to a recent report from the National Center for Educational Statistics, approximately 20% of the United States' high-school aged population is at risk of dropping out of high school, an outcome that strongly limits participation in economic and educational opportunities. The importance of earning a high school diploma has increased many local districts' efforts to close graduation gaps across the student population. Accordingly, this study evaluated a recuperative environmental leadership and service (EL&S) program in a northwestern local district to ascertain its effectiveness in providing at-risk students the personal and academic support required for high school graduation. Following the logic model program theory, this study examined the program's effectiveness in redirecting off-track students by comparing on time (4 year) and extended-time (> 4 years) graduation rates of at-risk students who did participate (n = 96) and did not participate (n = 76) in the EL&S. Through an ANCOVA, the 4 year and extended graduation rates, 68.3% and 89.1%, respectively, were analyzed and found to be higher than the on-time and extended-time graduation rates for the local district, 65.8% and 68.5%. Results indicated that the EL&S does statistically increase the participants' likelihood of graduating from high school. These findings illustrate the utility of EL&S interventions for at-risk students who have experienced multiple indicators of educational failure. Replication or adaptation of this EL&S program could provide social change benefits to educational stakeholders seeking to close the graduation gap; to families seeking educative and personal support for at-risk students; and to struggling students desiring to contribute to the economic, educative, and social growth of their community.