School and the Co-Construction of Dropout

Only about half of Latino, Black and Native American students graduate from high school. Much of the research explains school dropout using statistical relationships between dropout rates and a variety of "risk factors" attributed to students, like income, race/ethnicity, academic achievement and behaviors and attitudes. In contrast, this study examines two Latino adolescents' everyday experiences of dropping out in the context of cultural and structural aspects of school and consciously works against the common view of poor students of color as inherently "at risk" for school dropout. We illuminate how, through educational neglect and social and intellectual alienation, schools and school adults contributed to these two students' progressive disengagement from school. Implications for practice and further research are explored.