Through this mixed-method study, the researcher investigated social reproduction in a student's decision to follow the Louisiana Career/Basic Core Diploma Path. In 2008-2009, Louisiana's cohort graduation rate was 67.3%, which was well below the national average of 75.5%, ranking Louisiana forty-sixth in the country. This rate led to the development of legislation toward optional less rigorous high school diploma paths. Critics of the legislation argued the Career/Basic Core Diploma paths weakened the overall quality of the education system because the minimal requirements were not rigorous enough to meet federal and state standards. In the quantitative portion, the researcher used a logistic regression to determine statistically significant factors that drive a student's diploma path decision. Using ethnography, the researcher focused on 65 students at Cypress Point High School who were enrolled in "Education for Careers," a state-mandated class required for students seeking the Career/Basic Core Diploma Path. The researcher examined factors using the Bourdieu and Passeron (1977) cultural capital theory and Coleman (1988) theory of social capital to determine what factors affect a student's diploma path choice. The researcher explored how these students' characteristics and attitudes reflected social reproduction, which has existed in vocational education throughout American educational history. The researcher further investigated Foucault's (1982) concept of power to understand how these factors contributed to attitudes about education. In the quantitative portion, the researcher used logistic regression to determine statistically significant factors that determined student choice of diploma paths. Results of the study showed that parental involvement/expectations and student disengagement/postsecondary attitudes were statistically significant factors that influence a student's decision. The implications of choosing the Career/Basic Core Diploma track led students to increased negative attitudes toward educational persistence and aspirations due to social reproduction within the diploma path. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]