Argument number one-There are some high schools across the nation identified as having high dropout rates are described as having high poverty-stricken areas, high concentrations of African Americans and located in large urban cities. Argument number two-Some of the high schools described above have a much lower dropout rate documented with a much higher graduation rate of African American male students. Argument number three-In contrast, some of the high schools described in the previous paragraph (i.e.as being located in poverty-stricken areas, and having a high concentration of African Americans) have cited evidence of a much lower graduating number of students and a much higher dropout rate Argument number four-But what we do not know is why some high schools that have similar factors and demographics have a extremely high dropout rate problem among African Americans males. Therefore, this study will examine one case of an extreme dropout problem among African American males who attended Benton Harbor High School (Benton Harbor, MI). Below is the Alignment of requested paper DISSERTATION PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT Sheet EDLD 695 Chapter 1: Starting Point Topic Identified & Narrowed (Your general area of interest) Factors Related to High School Dropout As Identified By Young African Americans Males Conceptual FrameworkFor the Study(A graphic organizer that identifies the Major Concepts & Assumptions that frame your study and shows the relationships between them) 2 pages Introduction & Background (Introduce your topic and identify & support major concepts and assumptions that frame your study with cites to support) 3 pages Statement of the Problem (Within the conceptual framework for this study, identify the problem that will be the focus for your study – cite support) Problem StatementSimpson (2004) revealed that data is scarce in terms of accurate census and research analyses of African American dropouts. While dropout rates for African Americans have declined from 21% to 13% since 1972, they still remain significantly high according to the United States Department of Education (2002). And even more puzzling is the extreme cases where high schools have 60 percent and higher dropout rates for the African American males (Michigan Department of Education, 2006). This study will investigate the answers as to why these African American males continue to dropout of high school in such large quantities. Statement of Purpose (Within the problem that is the focus of your study, identify the specific role your study will play in responding to or addressing the problem, e.g. what is known/not known and how your study might fill a knowledge void) 4 pages Significance or Rationale (Develop an argument for the importance of your study purpose – cite support) 2 pages Research Questions (Articulate the specific research question(s) that will guide development of your study and identify how the question(s) will address the study problem and purpose, i.e. add to the knowledge base or fill a knowledge void) 1 page Methodology (Identify the research tradition and paradigm you selected to shape your research design and provide a brief overview of the design itself – cite support for your design decisions) A Case Study of Benton Harbor High School (Benton Harbor, MI) – 2 pages Limitations/Delimitations(Identify the limitations of your study in terms of scope/scale and general design approach – note: not all chairs require this here since this will be developed fully in Chapter 3)Definitions (if needed) Provide conceptual and/or operational definitions as needed for the reader to clearly understand the major concepts, themes, variables, etc. that you will incorporate into your study – cite support where appropriate) 1 page Chapter 1 Summary(Summarize study focus, purpose, and approach. You may also want to preview the organization of Chapters 2-5, especially if you are utilizing an unusual structure) 2 pages