Temporary As Compared to Permanent High School Dropout

Abstract

More and more high school dropouts are obtaining GEDs or returning to school to earn diplomas, and several studies point to socioeconomic status, academic standing, parenthood status, and students' expectations as predictors of dropouts' later high school certification. Absent from these studies, however, are measures of students' motivational characteristics and employment patterns prior to dropping out. This article, which takes a life course perspective, draws upon a longitudinal study of first- time dropouts in Baltimore, where the dropout rate is high (over 40%), to compare those who dropped out temporarily with those who dropped out permanently. We find that Baltimore students who later achieved high school degrees resembled their counterparts — those who finished high school — in national studies in terms of demographics and school performance. We also find that before dropping out, the temporary dropouts had more positive motivational qualities and were more often employed than the permanent dropouts. Policy implications of the findings are discussed, including the pivotal role of work and alternative routes to high school certification in the lives of disadvantaged adolescents.