CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION.

1. Background information to the research problem.
The prevalence of drop out varies between and within countries and occurs more frequently in certain age ranges and grades depending on the educational structure and patterns of participation in that country (Hunt, 2008). However, Teenagers’ dropping out of high school before completion has been a challenge for educators, parents, and employers for at least 30 years [Blue & Cook (2004); citing Haycock & Huang]. For many public school students’ particularly male students from low-income or ethnic minority families graduating from high school has remained problematic, even as the nation’s general educational level has increased [Blue & Cook (2004); citing Dillow]. According to 2000 current population survey (CPS) of the U.S. census bureau are used to compute dropout and completion rates by background characteristics, such as sex, race/ethnicity, and family income. Dropout rates in U.S are typical calculated in one of two ways: status rates and events rates. Status dropout rates indicate the number and percentage of people aged 15–24 who are not enrolled in school and have not obtained a high school credential. Event dropout rates, on the other hand, measure the number and percentage of students leaving school over a particular time period typically one year. Dropping out of school seems to be the result of a long-term process of disengaging from school [Blue & Cook (2004); citing Alexander & Entwisle, Finn, Hess]. Although research conducted by Blue & Cook (2004) has identified no single cause for dropping out, researchers typically have followed two distinct lines of inquiry. The first line examines individual student factors such as social and economic environment and ethnicity. The second line identifies the institutional factors and the conditions of