_ Factors other than finances
~ Kentuck Rural · ... .- tl » 1 - -
. ·A,_ IIIIPOI dll Ill y0Il IS CCISIOIISA
Q   tlll°€€·COI1Ilty Slll`V€y I’€V€31S
 1•. Y ouths u1t Schoo .
l By E. GRANT YOUMANS .   , —  
. A recent studyl was made of the factors influencing A A  " A.· _ . A A    A _ Q   1 e -
Kentucky rural youths to drop out of school. A total _ , .' _ ~ ` A   . »
~ . ·  ;—   ·   >... . .·V-   ___.... ; ``''` `  
_ of 480 mothers and 439 youths age 16 and 17 in Butler, _ A » ‘ ·V»·   , A _ __,_ AAA. L., .,`-..   ·»·· ~ - ···*·* * r  __
·. ‘ — . . . . _.   ___A»_.  __;,;;;:.;:-5>-*·>-1-*5 ‘°‘‘' " _   J
T Metcalfe and Elliott counties were interviewed. Thev ..__._.; .»..; xw->’>-·l~· A , . ..      .;·  =
·v were asked tuestions about their economic condition, , , 1 _ ~ . F `    
i 1 ’ ° ’··;.§:*.~Z-):l‘IsY  s- .
. about their educational beliefs and values, and about . " ‘"T“`iY  ,_,__,_     /-»-» A ;   '-4—`   ·~°°`` #>}’Li~i
*· .- ‘ .. ·· ,2   r ·.__ "  ‘1 F     ~i  
school and work life,       ;,,               A AAA
» , _ ; ` A ·· . ·   A · z· V   .A "wu ‘
A More than one-third of the boys and girls 111 the   ‘ · BA · A ;__ - .. 2}
study had dropped out of school. In Metcalfe countv A      l    Y Y`?
lr 54 percent of the 16- and 11-year-old youths had quit _ ·_   ‘`‘‘ 3 T __·._  
. ...i 2. '`l·l Z   ’e`··   ..»"   »'`l »   ’‘*·· Y   ‘..‘;  Z`- tr *”`¥
PM, school. In Elliott countv 32 percent had dropped out.   .     -._.....   ...; gl   ·’er·—·     .r.— .   ..·V s;A;`*<*‘=
' . . .   ..:.2  .rr.       .  ~  ·-- .   "  { `
. A I11 Butler county 2-1 percent had discontinued their   ’,¤_ :     ..,,. .1   »·‘* ·.=: = J?   /» =  ·— »  
iyx . ‘ s »·,»   A »r.·· .   ‘·»-     enizezis  
formal schooling. It is probable that other similar  
gs.:·,A—.*.·‘,1·`-L"*j_·.3·; ,A_   .- -..'__,\·;"’> .·?,,»_j‘·ar, gg}? !.`Z ·'.".-·.·*9·-._. ,,*· US" •-g  .···*,,4y¤3r_·7.··.r-·»·~·  .4.,  _,.¤ ~4» * A. ; A "
* Kentuck rural counties have an e uallv large mimber
4 O . . .
— . This survey showed that youths who were active in school
of youth who have not completed high school. _ . . . . · . . .
  _ _ A A A activities tended to continue their formal education.
The evidence 11] this study indicates that once a
We · youth quits school, he has little inclination or motiva- A AA A AAA A A _ A A A A AA “A_tA
. . . of ieo)>o·1 ie; ow i· Ol ·
··    ber of conclusions as to why rural Kentucky youth · S _l_A l lll ll " U _ L _ (   li
__ ·_.-’ 5 (AAAAA ACAAAAOA about this; A key to the possible SOlllllOll ol tll(‘
4 "` problem is indicated by the findings of this study.
  Economic Condition of Family
M . . . . . . . . Mothers’ Belief in Educotion
'lhe -180 families were divided llltl') two grou is of
or ` I M1 1 1 1 1 ‘ ·
equal number, the poorer and the ibetter-off families. l l°` llllll l“l* “’_"ll` ll*_ Cl *l lllllll )"l lll ‘lll"*lll’ll*
.- Almost one-half of tl1e youths from the poorer families llllfllll lll"ll` lll`ll*'l$ lll llllllllll "llllC*lll"ll· rl lll`ll` l`l"
hAA(l (h_()pP(_Ad out of School; only 0n(‘_Hfth of thc youths SPOHSCS \\’(’]`(’ ]`(‘l2_\l_`(‘(l $Iglll{`lCL1lltly t() tllll SCll()()l 1tlt(‘ll(l-
A   {mm the <—A)CAAA,A._0AA·~ AAAAAAAAACS had (Amt SCAAAAOAA Thus AA ance of the y()tI[l]S. Among the poorer families. those
·.A. vicious Circle IACALAAASA Lurgv AAAAAAAIAATS of boys Auld   t11()tl1(`*1'$ \Vl1() l)(*l1t*\’(’(l 111 l()]`|1]{[l (·(l1|g11[*1()11 t(‘[](l(‘(l [(1 A
AA from the poorer families are unable to take advantage lwflll lll“`ll` Cllllfllvll lll Scllllllli lllllsv Wlllllllll lllll llll‘ll`
V a strong co11victio11 about the value ol formal educa-
"l`l1e study was made jointly by the University ol Kentucky Depart- . O . . ·
.~. ment of llural Sociology and the Farin Population and ltural Lite llraneh. tl()ll t(‘ll(l(’(l l`() l(’t tll(‘ll` Cllll(lI`(‘l| (lI`()l) (Htl (tl SCll()()l.
.-\MS, USDA. lt is one ol the studies being made i11 eonneetion with the ,` · . ~ . A
llural Developiiient 1lI`U].{l’1llIl in llarniing areas. A eoniplete report ol tht- llll‘ lll()tll(*l`S l)(‘ll(‘lS 2ll)Olll (‘(lllCtltl()lI lll) (l()li|)l' l`(‘ll(‘(}l
-1,, 1. study is in Kentucky .—\grieultural Experiinent Station Bulletin 664. "lCdu-
eational .*`tllllHItlt‘ll[ and 1‘l\ll\lI`t‘ Plans of Kentucky llural Youths.`° by lf. . _ A_
(Irant Younians. ((lm|IIlltl('({ (Ht ])tl{i(' 1)
 
Kl·ZN'l`l1CK\' Fsnsr Asn lloxni S<:11·:NC12—\V1N*1·1c1t 1959 8
IL