This document reports on a 30-month study of the Hispanic dropout problem in the Dallas Independent School District (Texas). Information was gathered by the following means: (1) 746 personal, individual interviews and 337 telephone interviews with middle and high school students who had left school, students who had remained in school, and parents of both these groups; (2) surveys of and meetings with principals, teachers, and counselors of the 27 middle and high schools with Hispanic enrollments of at least 5 percent; and (3) district archival records. The relationships between the following factors and staying in or dropping out of school are reported: (1) student and parent characteristics; (2) language; (3) students' attitudes and perceptions; (4) participation in in-school and out-of-school activities; (5) schooling history; (6) positive and supportive environment; (7) student involvement with gang activity, substance abuse, or criminal behavior; (8) student and parent aspirations and expectations; (9) student, school, or family predictor variables; and (10) school characteristics that administrators, counselors, teachers, and parents perceive as having an effect on school holding power. Recommendations for the prevention and recovery of dropouts, based on a review of current research literature and focus group meetings conducted with administrators, counselors, and teachers selected from 12 schools with medium and high Hispanic enrollments, indicate the need for a comprehensive approach incorporating strategies that focus on the family, the student, and the school. Statistical data are included on nine tables and four figures. A glossary and a list of 42 references are appended. (FMW)