A 12 page research proposal designed to evaluate the effects of a specialized class on Hispanic
dropout. The author suggests that twenty-two students be randomly selected from a school and entered into a special program emphasizing positive
educational networks and continuous exposure to material patterned after the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). The idea is to compare
these students pre and post test scores as well as their future drop-out rate to other Hispanic students in the school. Bibliography lists 10
sources.
Name of Research Paper File: AM2_PPedHisp.rtf
Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
Hispanic drop out rates are a subject of considerable controversy. The statistics utilized to report these rates are questionable at best. Numerous authors have noted that
these statistics often include students that, in actuality, have never attended U.S. schools. While it would be overwhelming to address the factors that contributed to those students decision to
drop out of school, given that they did so before they ever entered the U.S., an address of the factors that cause Hispanic students in the U.S. school system to
drop out is not only needed but possible. A considerable portion of the literature has commented on this phenomena and the possible solution for it. A critical factor
in this solution is insuring the acculturation of Hispanics to their new environment so that they are encouraged, as opposed to discouraged, to attend regular classes.
It is important to note, of course, that The cultural classification "Hispanic" entails a number of subclassifications composed of a variety of ethnicities and cultures.
Unfortunately, as educators, we are seldom allowed the time or resources to explore those variations and their relation with the Hispanic drop out rate. Instead we must concentrate
our efforts on improving the environment of our classrooms so that it does not discourage any culture or ethnicity from attending class and staying in school. Because so many
Hispanic students drop out of school between Middle School and High School, an appropriate beginning point for our efforts is the Eighth Grade, the year before students would normally progress
on to High School classes. The percentage of students who drop out of school seems to be linked to a diversity of factors.