Research Topic Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Topic - Research Paper Example For the topic that I proposed initially, I can propose the following research question and hypothesis. Research Question: What are the underlying factors why increasing numbers of youth in the inner cities of America are at risk of dropping out of school? In addition, the following two secondary research questions will form the foundation for this project: 1) What programs today are proving effective at keeping at-risk students interested and motivated enough to stay in school through to graduation? 2) What community initiatives need to be developed to help local educational institutions identify at-risk students and propose strategies aimed at providing intervention strategies aimed at keeping young people in school? Hypothesis: The at-risk population in America continues to grow because of changing family dynamics and a lack of effective programming options aimed at keeping young people in school. The problem is that high school students around the country are dropping out of schoo l at alarming rates (Bracy, 2006). Society increasingly perceived that public schools are not living up to the expectations and needs of communities across the country. Recent years, therefore, have seen a dramatic increase in the number of intervention strategies and programs designed to keep young people in school. ... erned stakeholders, namely the public at large, sincerely hope that these new initiatives will provide a much needed spark to the role that education plays in society and, in particular, to the at-risk student population. The purpose of this non-experimental, mixed qualitative and quantitative research study will be to identify the traits inherent in successful programs targeting at-risk students. The goal will be to specifically determine which areas are proving effective in terms of keep at-risk students in schools. Existing statistical data will be reviewed, along with personal interviews being conducted, to determine some effective strategies that are currently being employed. The effectiveness or ineffectiveness of such programs and initiatives will be determined through a combination of research and personal interviews. The interviews will be valuable because they will help to support the premise of which programs are succeeding and why. Interviews will also reflect the current climate of the at-risk student population and will help point out the various factors that either contributes to a program’s success or failure. An important item of note is that interviews and questionnaires will only be conducted with select educators and concerned adults. No student will be contact for participation in this study. It is important to focus on why programs designed for at-risk students are either effective or ineffective. This begins with an examination and understanding of they key characteristics of the at-risk student. That will form the basis for the study. The qualitative data gathered during this study will then be used to determine how programs and initiatives can be implemented more effectively in an attempt to help students succeed in high school. If a program