The Civil Rights Project / Proyecto Derechos Civiles

Our results suggest that explanations for students dropping out of school before graduation that rely solely on students’ social background and school behaviors are incomplete. Although our research has demonstrated that both students’ social and academic background are associated with the likelihood of students dropping out of high school, the story does not (and should not) end there. The results of this study suggest that schools can exert important organizational effects on dropping out, above and beyond individual students’ behaviors and backgrounds.