Dropouts in New Mexico [electronic resource] : Native American and Hispanic Students Speak Out / Richard S. Kitchen, Diane Torres Velasquez and John Myers.
This paper provides an overview of dropout rates in New Mexico and reports the perceptions of Hispanic and Native American students on dropout-related issues. New Mexico has the third highest dropout rate in the nation. Over 7,500 students in New Mexico drop out each year, and many schools lose 30-5...
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| Format: | Electronic eBook |
| Language: | English |
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2000.
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| Summary: | This paper provides an overview of dropout rates in New Mexico and reports the perceptions of Hispanic and Native American students on dropout-related issues. New Mexico has the third highest dropout rate in the nation. Over 7,500 students in New Mexico drop out each year, and many schools lose 30-50 percent of their students. Dropout rates are particularly alarming for Hispanics, African Americans, and Native Americans. In every ethnic group, males are more likely to drop out than females. Data tables present 1995-96 dropout rates for grades 9-12 by year, ethnic group, and gender and for grades 7-8 by ethnic group. A short literature review discusses the high national Hispanic dropout rate, regardless of socioeconomic class, immigrant status, or home language; the role of cultural discontinuity and racism in the high Native American dropout rate; the influence of poverty and social inequities on dropout rates; and evidence that school-related reasons contribute most to student decisions to drop out. Interviews with Hispanic and Native American students and parents at three New Mexico middle schools revealed some common themes: that teachers were uncaring, biased against students' cultures, and insensitive to students' difficulties at home; that school felt like a prison; and that friends, parents, extracurricular activities, and hands-on learning motivated students to stay in school. Effective dropout prevention strategies are described relating to teacher professional development, teacher support networks, the school environment, educational policy, community involvement, and research. An appendix briefly summarizes 30 dropout prevention programs in New Mexico. (Contains 40 references.) (SV) |
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| Item Description: | ERIC Document Number: ED440795. ERIC Note: Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (New Orleans, LA, April 24-28, 2000). |
| Physical Description: | 35 p. |