Realities of Home and Family Among Early School Leavers: “They Have Stories”

• In Event: Roundtable Session 2
  In Roundtable Session: Alternative Perspectives on Youth and Schooling

Abstract

This critical hermeneutical study shared the “collective story” (Richardson, 1990) of five participants’ home and family experiences as they meandered in and out of rural Tennessee high schools in search of a rite of passage that proved illusory. The research explored the cultural context, embodied natures, significant others, and actions of participants, using a model by Polkinghorne (1995). Data included interviews, documents, and field notes gathered and analyzed over five months in 2010 and 2011. As educators and policymakers pursue more rigor, accountability, and data in efforts to improve high school completion rates, the research contributes to our understanding by adding the voices of those who are at the heart of the debate—early school leavers.

Author

• Janet K. Isbell, Tennessee Technological University