ERIC Number: ED343953
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1992-Apr
Pages: 45
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Calculating Dropout Rates Locally and Nationally with the Holding Power Index.
Hartzell, Gary; And Others
A nationally standardized dropout definition will be of little practical value unless it can be related to the structure, practices, and processes of a given school. A proposed measure of school completion and school leaving called the High School Holding Power Index is described. The index is built on these assumptions: (1) there is a relationship between what goes on at school and the dropout rate; (2) conditions beyond the control of the school contribute to some dropout decisions; (3) the graduating class cohort is the appropriate unit of analysis; (4) high school is defined as grades nine through 12; (5) the appropriate period for measurement is the high school years; (6) a dropout is a student who cannot be accounted for in any legitimate way when the class reaches the end of 12th grade; and (7) holding power is the percentage of students in each graduating class cohort who graduate or are still enrolled when the cohort finishes grade 12. The index equals (on-time graduates plus early graduates plus those still enrolled) divided by (the original ninth-grade class plus "transfer ins" minus "transfer outs" plus the institutionalized plus the jailed plus the deceased). This index offers a way to measure the breadth and depth of the dropout phenomenon. The studies, involving over 31,000 students, that resulted in the development of the index are described. There is a 56-item list of references. (SLD)
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A