DROPOUT RATE OF HISPANICS

Dropout rate of Hispanics

Dropout rate of Hispanics

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by

Anthony O. Willis

MARSHA COVINGTON, Ph.D., FACULITY MENTOR AND CHAIR

HOWARD JACOBS, Ph.D., Committee Member

TYLER KREBS, Ph.D., Committee Member

Barbara Butts Williams, Ph.D., Dean, School of Education

A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment

Of the Requirements for the Degree

Doctor of Philosophy

Capella University

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Table of Contents

Table of Contents5

Abstract6

Dedicationiii

Acknowledgmentsiv

List of Tablesvii

List of Figuresviii

CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION9

Introduction to the Problem9

Background of the Study13

Statement of the Problem16

Purpose of the Study17

Rationale17

Research Questions20

Significance of the Study20

Assumptions and Limitations22

Theoretical Framework23

Nature of the Study24

Organization of the Remainder of the Study25

CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW27

CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW27

Overview27

U.S. Latino Demographics27

Latinos, Education and Cultural Congruity29

Cultural Challenges Faced by Latino Students30

Latinos and Higher Education36

Educational Attainment, by Race and Ethnicity: 200738

Lack of Mentors and Role Models40

Parental Education and Its Impact on ColleAttrition42

CHAPTER 3. METHODOLOGY45

Rationale for Qualitative Methodology45

Population and Sample46

Instrument Validity and Reliability47

Procedures47

Data Analysis and Coding50

Validity and Reliability51

Ethics53

Critical Concerns54

CHAPTER 4. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS56

CHAPTER 5. RESULTS, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS57

APPENDIX A. ADD TITLE71

APPENDIX B. ADD TITLE72

Abstract

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Dedication

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Acknowledgments

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List of Tables

Tabel 1. Educational Attainment, by Race and Ethnicity: 200738

List of Figures

Figure 3. Educational Attainment, by Race and Ethnicity: 200738

Figure 2. Cross-Cultural Differences: U.S. and Mexico35

CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION

Introduction to the Problem

The demographic composition of the United States has changed significantly. This prominent measure is the "status dropout rate" or the fraction of youth that have not completed high school and are not enrolled in school at the interview date. Finely grained status dropout rates can be tallied from the Decennial Census since it is a household census rather than a survey. In 2000, about 530,000 Hispanic 16-to-19-year-olds were high school dropouts, yielding a dropout rate of 21.1 percent for all Hispanic 16-to-19-year-olds (U.S. Census Bureau, 2003). The Latino youth dropout rate was more than three times greater than the 2000 non-Hispanic "white alone" dropout rate of 6.9 percent. and the Hispanic segment of the population now represents the nation's largest minority. Unfortunately, there has not been a concomitant increase in the number of Latinos who are graduating from college. The Statistical Portrait of Latinos in the United States (2007) reports that almost one-third (30%) of whites attain a college degree, but only 12.6% of Latinos graduate from college. Schwartz, Donovan, & Guido-DiBrito (2009) emphasize that, “The college graduation rate for Latino students is the lowest of any ethnic minority group in ...