Undereducation in America: The Demography of High School Dropouts

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Who are the majority high school dropouts They are neither the poor nor members of minority groups. Rather they are native-born white youth from homes in which only English is spoken and with incomes above the poverty level. However, minority and poor youth are more likely to be undereducated, and minority youth are more likely to be poor. "Undereducation in America" provides the most up-to-date and comprehensive examination of the high school dropout problem available today. It examines the numbers, rates, and characteristics of undereducated young people among white majority; African American; Hispanic; American Indian, Eskimo, and Aleut; Asian and Pacific Islander youth; and among non-Hispanic language minority whites. Having a non-English language background is not necessarily an educational risk factor of itself for dropping out of school. Dr Waggoner finds that American schools are failing all youth, but she finds American Indian, Eskimo, and Aleut youth are the most likely of all native-born youth to be undereducated. Most of the much-noted disparity between the dropout rates of Hispanic youth and the rates of other groups is due to the limited education of many Hispanic immigrants, who conistutute less than 30 percent of the entire group. The findings of "Undereducation in America" provide a guide for policy makers, school administrators, researchers, community groups, and others seeking solutions to the problems of educating school populations that, increasingly, are culturally and linguistically diverse.

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The problem of undereducation is enormous and analyses of the demographics are astounding. At least 4.2 million young people are dropouts, without high school diplomas. More than half of these are native born non-Hispanic whites living in homes in which English is spoken, and a large portion are from families with incomes above the poverty level. In this study, every demographic factor of the undereducation landscape is analyzed, e.g., ethnic group, language background, poverty status, gender, region, state, plus additional categories. Waggoner's benchmark research may prove to be a major basis for education policy-making in America. This study describes, in a clear and meaningful format, one of the most complex educational problems of the 20th-century US. The demographics are illustrated by 21 figures and 67 tables. The quantitative data are greatly enhanced by Waggoner's straightforward style and scholarly analysis. This work is highly recommended to academic libraries for use by graduate students, faculty, and especially by education policymakers.-Choice
"The problem of undereducation is enormous and analyses of the demographics are astounding. At least 4.2 million young people are dropouts, without high school diplomas. More than half of these are native born non-Hispanic whites living in homes in which English is spoken, and a large portion are from families with incomes above the poverty level. In this study, every demographic factor of the undereducation landscape is analyzed, e.g., ethnic group, language background, poverty status, gender, region, state, plus additional categories. Waggoner's benchmark research may prove to be a major basis for education policy-making in America. This study describes, in a clear and meaningful format, one of the most complex educational problems of the 20th-century US. The demographics are illustrated by 21 figures and 67 tables. The quantitative data are greatly enhanced by Waggoner's straightforward style and scholarly analysis. This work is highly recommended to academic libraries for use by graduate students, faculty, and especially by education policymakers."-Choice

Author Bio

DOROTHY WAGGONER is a specialist in language minority statistics and bilingual education. Prior to her retirement from the Federal Government, she held positions in the Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Languages Affairs and the National Center for Education Statistics of the U.S. Department of Education. She chaired an interagency committee charged with planning the language questions for the 1980 census. Dr. Waggoner has written extensively on the numbers and characteristics of language minority populations and their educational needs.