This study focuses on personal and structural problems experienced by African-American male high school dropouts and personal and structural factors that prevented the African-American male stay-ins and white high school male stay-ins from dropping out of school. To help make this ethnography sound, the earlier ethnographies, speeches on education, and related research, from slavery until now, are used to inform this ethnography on retention of students in high school. Contents: Introduction; Research Design; African-American Male High School Dropouts; Twelfth Grade Male Stay-ins; Determining a Potential High School Male Dropout; Social Policy.