Dueber, Julianne. "Why You Should Stay in School." Education and College. Ed. William Dudley. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2003. Teen Decisions. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 2 Dec. 2010. Julianne Dueber, in the excerpt from the book "The Ultimate High School Survival Guide" (2003) argues that students, even those struggling to pass, should stick it out and get their diploma.  Dueber supports her argument by answering the question "why should you stay in school?"  She provides the reasons; the type of jobs that face a high school dropout are much worse than those for a high school or college graduate, furthermore, a high school graduate will have more self respect and that of others, and lastly there are many alternatives than the traditional four-year high school route.  The author's purpose is to inform struggling high school students of their options and get them the necessary help on their way to the diploma, in order to help more students go forth to a higher education.  The author writes in a semi-formal, almost humorous, tone for high school students. This article was highly useful throughout my proposal.  I will use this information in my final essay because it addresses reasons why people don't finish school, while also discussing a range of different methods to help students finish high school.  This information was reliable because the author is a high school teacher, and she has the opportunity to observe the reasons why students have trouble finishing high school.  Also, this excerpt came from the Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context database.  This article is especially biased because the author is passionate about children and education.  The information presented in this excerpt will shape my argument to lean toward the consequences of not getting your diploma.

Reyes, Raul. "Latinos need help to end 'dropout crisis'." USA Today 19 Mar. 2010: 11A. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 24 Nov. 2010. Paul Reyes, in the article "Latinos need help to end 'dropout crisis'" (2010), explains that President Obama isn't helping Latino youth enough to graduate high school.  Reyes supports his explanation through the recognition of statistics that show Hispanics have a tougher time getting their diploma for a number of reasons; including having to work at a young age and racial biases.  The author's purpose is to point out that not enough is being done to aid Hispanic youth in finishing high school and finally correct an ongoing problem that has plagued the Hispanic community for years.  The author writes in a semi-formal tone, but is still aimed at adults. This article was helpful because the entire article was targeted at the Hispanic community. This is useful because a part of my paper will focus on minorities.  This article was biased to the side that the government should send more aid to Hispanics so they can get an education.  This information will be incorporated to add support for reasons why minorities battle with low graduation rates.  This helps shape my argument, just like the author's opinion, that minorities will need additional funding to be successful.

Moreno, Diana. "Experiences of a High School Dropout." Education and College. Ed. William Dudley. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2003. Teen Decisions. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 9 Dec. 2010. Diana Moreno, in the article "Experiences of a High School Dropout" (2003) explains that dropping out of high school was one of the most stressful experiences of her life because of the extra difficulties that came from it.  Moreno supports her explanation by describing her own experiences of being a dropout; going through her reasons the dropped out as a freshman, her failing attempts to go back to school, and her eventual return and determination to get her diploma.  The author's purpose is to convince other dropouts that it's possible to get their diploma despite adversities, this is to spread hope that one should never give up on finishing their education.  The author writes in a semi-formal tone for high school dropouts. This article was one of my most useful because it was actually an autobiography of the hardship a high school dropout would have to face.  Many of the trouble she had before she went back she says she didn't have after she had her diploma.  The credibility lies in the fact that it's her own life story; not someone's second hand account.  I predict I will use the information from this source, in my paper, to tell about a success story aimed at those who are thinking about dropping out, or have already.

McCallumore, Kyle M., and Ervin F. Sparapani. "THE IMPORTANCE OF THE NINTH GRADE ON HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION RATES AND STUDENT SUCCESS IN HIGH SCHOOL." Education 130.3 (2010): 447-456. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 30 Nov. 2010. Kyle McCallumore, in the article "The Importance of Ninth Grade on High School Graduation Rates and Student Success" (2010), explains that ninth grade is the year that makes or breaks a student on their way to completing high school because it can set a student up for a smooth path or be forced to dig oneself out of an early hole.  McCallumore supports his argument with an array of statistics that point out ninth grade as a focal point on students' success; also he lays out several solutions to keep freshmen from having to struggle throughout high school, which includes keeping freshman separate from upperclassmen in their first year.  The author's purpose is to expose a, relatively unknown, cause to add to the reasons of why some high school students struggle so that schools can take this information and implement the proper solutions.  The author writes in a formal tone for parents with freshmen, and school officials. This was another extremely helpful source.  I plan on using this information in my paper to add to my section where I map out my solution for the high school dropout rate.  I can also incorporate one the many statistics as well.  This article is reliable because the author is a professor in the College of Education at Saginaw State University.  This article changed my thinking about the freshman year.  Previously, I had thought, if there was one year to slack around in, it would be ninth grade.  However, this article has put an increase on the importance of the first year in high school, and this change will be shown in my final paper.

Bridgeland, John M., Jr., John J. Dilulio, and Robert Balfanz. "The High School Dropout Problem." Education Digest 75.3 (2009): 20-26. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 9 Dec. 2010. John Bridgeland, John Dilulio, and Robert Balfanz, in the article "The High School Dropout Problem" (2009) explain that most high school students won't respond, or work harder toward their own education, if the curriculum adds more difficulty.  The authors' support their claim by presenting a large amount of statistics that point to the fact that teachers and principals, simply aren't doing all they can to help everyone graduate, because of the viewpoint mention previously, they provide explanations as to why students dropout of high school, which include a lack of parental involvement and support from counselors. Further, the authors' presented solutions to keep students in the classroom; raise low expectations, make sure every teacher is a quality one, and having alternative learning system for those who don't work well in a traditional environment.  The author's purpose is to promote the awareness of a 'dropout crisis' happening in schools across America, so that teachers, parents, and principals will come together, to help America's youth to get a solid education.  The author writes in a formal tone for parents, and teachers. Again, this is another credible source that I found on the Academic Search Complete database.  I thought this article was useful because it include clear descriptions over what is wrong with the education system, why students are dropping out, and what can be done to help.  I foresee most of the information in this article being able to fit somewhere in my final paper, due to the fact that it's all relevant to my topic.  I believe the goal of this source is to, genuinely, help everyone get to the next level of their education, and let no one slip through the cracks.  This article presented an unbiased view of what's happening on our nation's school

Khadaroo, Stacy. "Key to School Dropouts: Knock on Their Door." Sudent Research Center (2010): 1+. MAS Ultra - School Edition. Web. 30 Nov. 2010. Stacy Khadaroo, in the essay "Key to dropouts: Knock on their door" (2010), explains that there are steps that can be taken to help students stay in school.  Khadaroo supports her claims by talking about a high school that is going the extra mile to help students graduate, while also discussing the consequences for those who don't finish, along with, including facts that further add to the credibility of her claims.  The author's purpose is to inform others about a Houston high school's new policy, so that other schools might follow their lead and adopt the policy too, as well as to shed light on the many downsides of not finishing high school.  The author writes in a formal tone for teachers, parents, and administrators.  This was a credible source from the Student Research Center database.  Also, the author, Stacy Khadaroo is an education reporter for the Christian Science Monitor, an international online newspaper.   This was not the best source that I found, but it will certainly be included in my paper because I predict I will be able to incorporate this information into the section where I explain my plan to help keep students from dropping out.  This was an objective source, with no biased comments, it simply reports on the new policy and how it is helping the students.  "Key to dropouts: Knock on their door," was helpful because it offers a twist on the usual "one-size fits all" tactic to keeping students in school and brings it down to one-on-one personal level.  I think it's great how these school officials and volunteers go house to house, in poor neighborhoods, to help keep underprivileged youth stay in school.

Bowler, Mike. "Dropouts Loom Large for Schools." U.S. News & World Report 146.8 (2009): 36-39. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 2 Dec. 2010. Mike Bowler, in the article "Dropouts Loom Large" (2009), argues that unlike large universities, community colleges are a great route to take on the way to getting a higher education because they fight to keep students, unlike universities who simply try to get them in the door, then let them fight for themselves.  Bowler supports his statement by presenting facts and a clearly laid out plan to retain college students; which includes allowing students to do college credit in high school, making sure those who are academically capable of attending are financially as well, and making college more engaging.  The author's purpose is to advocate that it's important to help keep students in the major universities who have paid them handsomely to do so.  The author writes in a formal tone for college students.   This source was found in the Academic Search Complete database, making it especially credible.  I thought this was not one of my best sources because it mostly pertained to college issues instead of high school, and that's what I'm focusing on. However, I can see myself using the information in my final paper to explain how colleges can help students get to the next level in their education.  This article was biased in the sense that the author wanted to see big changes in the education system and didn't, simply, report facts.  The reliability of his statements came from the overall professional feel of the paper, while having a clearly planned out solution and  quotes from people involved.

Thornburgh, Nathan. "Dropout Nation. (Cover story)." Time 167.16 (2006): 30-40. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 23 Nov. 2010. Nathan Thornburgh, in the article "Dropout Nation" (2006), asserts that the graduation rates in this country are very low, much lower than one would think, and tells about one town's struggle to turn it around.  Thornburg supports his argument by diving into the lives of three high school dropouts from an Indianapolis high school. The author's purpose is to show how the lives of these three individuals turned out after they stopped going to school, in order to convince people that dropping out of high school is overall, an unwise decision.  The author writes in a formal tone for adults concerned with graduating children.   This source was very helpful in writing my paper.  It was definitely used most out of all the other sources I gained because the information was very relevant to my topic.  Along with detailed examples of three high school dropouts themselves, the article included numerous facts that pertained to the majority of high dropouts as well.  The reliability of the article lies in the first hand accounts by the three dropouts.  Despite the article being biased to the side that all students should finish high school, it showed the other viewpoint, which is people can still have a prosperous life style without an education.  The information from this source will probably be used to show the consequences that can stem from not finishing high school.

Miller, Ben, and Phuong Ly. "COLLEGE DROPOUT FACTORIES." Washington Monthly 42.9/10 (2010): 20-26. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 9 Dec. 2010. Ben Miller and Phuong Ly, in the article "COLLEGE DROPOUT FACTORIES" (2010) argue that the higher education system is unfair to low-income students. This leads most of them to go to a lower class of schools that don't compare to the leading ones; however, what some of these lower-tier schools try to do, is get students to pay their money, then dropout.  Miller and Ly support their argument by reviewing the experiences of Nestor Curiel, a student from Chicago who chose to go to a secondary university called Chicago State University, however he soon wanted to leave considering the sub-par teachers and library, luckily he was able to finish the semester and transfer his credits over to University of Illinois at Chicago, a major university.  The authors' purpose is to expose universities that try to get students to come to their school, but stop caring about them when they get there. By doing this, they hope to stop this cycle of injustice from continuing.  The author writes in a semi-formal tone college students. "College Dropout Factories" is reliable because it is on the Academic Search Complete database. The fact that its the first-hand experience of what happened to Nestor adds to the reliability as well.  This source was particularly biased because it had Nestor's emotions from how he was treated.  This article was very interesting; however it doesn't fit well with the rest of my paper because it's centered around college.  Nevertheless, it might find its way into the section of my final paper where I include options of what teens can do after they finish high school.

Somers, Cheryl L., Delila Owens, and Monte Piliawsky. "A STUDY OF HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUT PREVENTION AND AT-RISK NINTH GRADERS' ROLE MODELS AND MOTIVATIONS FOR SCHOOL COMPLETION." Education 130.2 (2009): 348-356. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 9 Dec. 2010. Cheryl Somers, Delila Owens, and Monte Piliawsky, in the article "A STUDY OF HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUT PREVENTION AND AT-RISK NINTH GRADERS' ROLE MODELS AND MOTIVATIONS FOR SCHOOL COMPLETION" (2009), explains that tutoring, personal development, summer enrichment, and parental involvement help ease the transition from junior high to high school for incoming ninth graders.  Somers, Owens, and Piliawsky support their explanations with facts pertaining to high school freshmen, and the results of a school dropout prevention program run through an urban university and school district.  The authors' purpose is to suggest that, through the four techniques mentioned previously, the school district will be able to improve upon graduation rates of at-risk teens in poor neighborhoods so that their graduation rates can get up to par with, or eventually exceed, the rest of the state .  The authors write in a formal tone for parents and school administrators. This was an extremely credible essay written by an educator at the Michigan State University, a holder of a Master of Arts degree in Writing from Johns Hopkins University, and a professor at Wayne State University.  This research was useful in the sense that it is an actual research paper about a study done on a group of Jacksonville ninth graders.  Research like this fits into my essay perfectly because I can incorporate some of the statistics it had, along with the results of the study to back up my claims.  I especially liked this source over some of my others because it transitions great into my final paper.  This essay has changed my view on which teens need the most help when it comes to constructing a plan to boost graduation rates.