Academically capable students who drop out of large suburban high schools

This study was a qualitative, multiple case study of academically capable dropouts from three large suburban high schools. Most of the 17 dropouts interviewed for this study indicated that they initially intended to graduate from high school, but felt pushed out by a hostile academic and social environment.; Tinto's theory (1975, 1987, 1993) of dropouts from higher education was used as the conceptual framework for this study of academically capable dropouts. For most of the ACD's dropping out was a longitudinal process where students' intentions, goals and commitments were continually influenced by their interactions with the academic and social communities of the schools. Poor relationships with teachers and administrators hindered academic integration while lack of fit with the majority culture, namely the "Preps" and the "Jocks", contributed to feelings of incongruence and hindered social integration. All participants had external commitments such as work and family responsibilities but most valued school more than those external commitments.; Many of the ACD's did not find their high school programs relevant to their future plans. The gap that existed between their aspirations and what was expected lead to feelings of alienation where a reassessment of goals or means of achieving those goals took place. Poor effort and lack of attendance were two conditions that demonstrated their alienation leading to course failures and falling behind in grade. Many experienced life-altering events that conjoined with multiple other factors to weaken their initial intention to graduate.; Seventeen in-depth case studies were completed yielding data from three large suburban high schools in upstate New York. Data were collected from two sources: students' school records and thirty-five minute, telephone interviews held with each student. Longitudinal data from the school records was obtained at different points in the dropouts' schooling beginning with the freshman year in high school.; The results of the qualitative study will assist school districts in several ways. The complex, conjunctural nature of the dropping out process for academically capable high school students, is described in detail. It gives special attention to the institutional experiences of the ACD's after entry into high school and shows how the institutional and personal factors interacted over time. Finally, rich descriptions of those experiences provide school personnel with the details needed to understand why these academically capable students left school and suggests what the schools may do to increase their holding power.