Examination of the influence of the institution of the high school on inner-city Puerto Rican students

This study is a follow-up study on the Ford Foundation High School Study (Brause & Hodge, 1988) conducted during the school year 1987-1988. During a 4-year period 62 Puerto Rican students in attendance at an inner-city high school were studied. Four of the 62 students representing unique outcomes were studied using case study methodology, each representing a different outcome, namely, graduate, currently attending the same school, currently attending an alternative school, and officially dropped out from school. Researcher-made instruments and the Myers-Briggs Type indicator were used to assess the findings. The results of the study indicated that students who graduated were more fully integrated into the life of the high school. Social integration into other social systems such as street life, family, and church was highly dependent on family support and the individual value system. A strong female parent who valued education appeared to influence academic success. The pervasiveness of poverty influenced student and family decisions, values, and behaviors. Several hypotheses were generated after analyzing the data. They are: (1) Religion is an important factor in the lives of lower socioeconomic status (SES) high school students. (2) Economics is an important factor in the lives of lower SES high school students. (3) Not all families value graduation from high school. (4) Adolescents living in homes with dominant females who value education are more likely to graduate from high school. (5) Adolescents living in homes with passive parents are less likely to graduate from high school. Attempts at helping the students socialize and become part of the culture of the school may be needed. Many students who left high school prematurely felt isolated, rejected, and internalized the lack of success as being their failure and not the school system\u27s failure. Schools should seek to involve students and parents in the life of the school