School kids/street kids

by Nilda Flores-González

Only 62% of Latinos have completed high school, while 94% of Whites and 87% of African Americans have done so. This book examines who drops out and who graduates--and why--among Puerto Rican students in an urban high school. Using role identity theory, the author explains how some students develop what she terms a "school-kid" identity that enables them to succeed in school, while others develop a "street-kid" identity and drop out.