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The purpose of the dissertation is to attempt to identify the circumstances, conditions and situations which appear to have been important in keeping students in school through graduation. The study focuses on the histories of twenty at-risk students in the graduation class of 1991 and seeks insights into the factors affecting the successful completion of secondary school requirements. It is intended that the information gleaned from this study will be utilized in the development of early intervention procedures and programs for students at all levels. Twenty students were selected for this study and were interviewed at their high school during the 1990-1991 academic year. All of them, in early years, had been deemed at-risk for dropping out of school; all of them had academic profiles and histories that included the following: (1) excessive absences; (2) low scores on achievement tests that were administered in elementary schools; (3) promotion/retention difficulties; (4) teacher observations, recorded in students' cumulative folders that were indicative of the potential to drop out of school. In addition, a review of related literature was completed to provide background for this study and to identify the most appropriate factors in selecting the students for the study. The review signaled the areas of inquiry and directed the development of the questions. The conclusions of this dissertation reflect several recurrent themes and point to hope for improving the currently bleak dropout predictions: (1) The presence of at least one mentor in the lives of the students; (2) satisfaction with their high school experiences; (3) respect that these students received form their teachers, parents and other significant adults. Each student provided unique insights into understanding the complex paradigm of staying in school until graduation. From each of these students came differing sets of life circumstances, attitudes, motivations and values. The twenty students presented twenty distinct and poignant autobiographies; the challenge is to learn, and to learn from each one of them.

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Polarization in the United States and controversy over the teaching of content some deem “divisive” has resulted in the enactment of restrictive legislation in many states. Such constraints contribute to a fraught environment in schools today and significantly impact the work of teaching. Utilizing frameworks of ambitious teaching and principled resistance, this dissertation sought to understand the experiences of three secondary social studies teachers in Florida, Tennessee, and Texas as they navigated and resisted these constraints. Through an analysis of interview data, the study found that teachers engaged in ambitious teaching and principled resistance by enacting their political clarity and legal literacy. Additionally, data supported the importance of teachers building solidarity and support systems within schools and beyond their walls. Their stories illuminate some of these teachers' obstacles, including informal conflict and more formal challenges to their curricula and instruction. Teacher narratives help to better understand the impact of mandates and policies that can be harmful. However, as these participants demonstrate, they also present opportunities for teachers to be agentic and resist efforts to constrain their practice. These findings offer implications for theory, policy, practice, and teacher preparation. While the policymaking around “divisive concept” legislation has not been made in good faith and has purposefully sowed fear and uncertainty for educators and school communities nationwide, understanding teachers’ reactions to these laws and policies can pull back the curtain on the in-school impact and the reality of social studies instruction.

The writer has proposed a practical guidance program for Vietnamese high schools. The study has been written while education in Vietnam is in a period of revolution. Radical changes have been undertaken to keep up the national demand for progress and economical self-independence. The need for guidance services in high schools is necessary to promote learning toward better achievement and more logical training of manpower and social adjustment. The traditional Vietnamese school, influenced by thousands years of Confucian concepts and hundred years of French culture, has been ineffective in providing competent scientific and technical personnel, despite a world moving toward rapid changes in industry and economics. Under these conditions, the Vietnamese student encounters a puzzling challenge; he is unable to adequately assess his individual ability and emotional problems. Conditioned to memorization, the Vietnamese student is unable to think for himself in order to find an adequate solution for his own difficulties. The contact of the real world of technique makes him feel lost and unable to choose the right way to learn, this suggests a vital need for someone to guide him through the maze of education. The writer has tried to assist the Vietnamese student in high school through the development of a guidance program which provides for the student opportunities to explore and to discover who he is and what he could do best. The student in this program will have available a counselor to whom he can turn for advice and assistance in developing a future program. Self-understanding will be emphasized which, hopefully, will lead him to self-acceptance, better achievement, and preparation for entry into a frustrated society and the world of work. In this study, differences in culture, social structure, local conditions and effects of the war have been analyzed, interpreted and brought into discussion. Different guidance services to implement the main objectives have been proposed with enlightened perspectives. The role of the future counselor has been well-defined for clear-cut understanding. His knowledge, ability, and capability to deal with youth problems as well as his responsibilities have been recommended. His relationships with other guidance personnel and community have been clearly limited. The proposed guidance program in this study will certainly have to be complete by further suggestions and recommendations.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1967. / Vita. Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

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