Volume 4, the fourth of eight publications developed by the Intercultural Development Research Association as part of the "Texas School Dropout Survey Project," focuses on school district research and procedures. It describes a survey of 143 districts with dropout identification procedures conducted to examine those procedures. Findings from 78 districts are reported that revealed that: (1) the majority of districts followed the Texas Education Agency (TEA) guidelines for "improper" and "proper" reasons from dropping out; (2) if a student met other dropout criteria but was no longer of compulsory school age, 68% of the school districts would include him/her in the dropout counts; and (3) 71% of the districts followed a freshman class for 4 years and almost 80% followed a student on a yearly basis to determine the dropout rate. It is concluded that, despite the efforts of the TEA to provide guidelines for dropout identification, districts need a more precise and applicable definition, as well as methodological guidelines. District dropout research conducted in Brownsville, the Tyler Independent School District (ISD), the Ysleta ISD, the McAllen ISD, the Corpus Christi ISD, Santa Gertrudis, the Houston ISD, the Dallas ISD, and the Austin ISD is reviewed, summarized, and conclusions are drawn. Recommendations for dropout definitions and calculation of dropout rates are given. Relevant materials are attached. (NB)