Final APA Project

RUNNING HEAD : HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUTS PROPOSAL

High school dropouts : proposal

Your Name Here

Name of your university , City of location

Abstract

This research seeks to answer the question of the influence that dropping out of high school has on a person 's tendency toward crime Studies have shown that most persons who do not have a high school diploma are at an economic disadvantage compared to those who have finished high school . It has also been shown that many prisons have a high concentration of members who have not finished

high school . This study will take questions to a group of inmates at a local prison as well as a group of high school students in the same area . It will use questionnaires that contain items which attempt to probe issues concerning the criminal exposure of inmates during and after high school as well as that of current high school students . The results will be analyzed and correlated using graphs and charts in to shed light on the influence that the lack of a high school diploma has on criminal activity

Introduction

Several reasons have been cited by researchers to explain why students decide to drop out of high school . One of these reasons is a lack of adequate early-childhood preparation (Reynolds et al , 2001 . Children who receive inadequate educational preparation in the early stages of their lives often find it difficult to grasp the concepts being taught at the high school levels . These children might also not have had proper exposure to the types of behaviors and study habits necessary for success in high school . These , and other problems associated with them often lead to an inability to cope with the demands of the educational environment (2001

Lack of adequate financial support also plays a part in causing students to drop out of school (Ingrum , 2006 Reynolds et al , 2001 . It is often the case that students are unable to access the materials necessary for success in school due to lack of funds . Furthermore , poverty often drives students to seek jobs (or even less honorable ways of earning money ) before their high school education officially ends . This often has also to do with a lack of appropriate emotional and family support which often ebbs when finances are low . Furthermore , some parents of these students have hardly attained high school diplomas themselves and are therefore incapable of assisting these children with assignments (Sum et al , 2003

Finally a lack of intellectual aptitude , which manifests in the form of learning disabilities , has been cited as having a significant part to play in prompting students to drop out of school (Ingrum , 2006 . Schools are largely accommodating to those persons of average intelligence who have little or no endogenous difficulties learning . These students often find it particularly difficult to perform even the fundamental functions of education , such as reading and simple arithmetic

Many who do drop out are disadvantaged compared to their counterparts who possess diplomas . These people are more likely to...