Martinez, Yolanda G., and Ann Cranston-Gingras. "Migrant farmworker students and the educational process: Barriers to high school completion." High School Journal 80.1 (1996): 28. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 30 Jan. 2011.

The focus of this article was to bring to light the socioeconomic differences and inadequacies on the part of the educational system that has a profound effect on the dropout rates of migrant workers. To quote its authors, "The issues associated with the reasons why migrant young adults drop out of school, when examined closely, reflect more about the society in which we live and our schools, than what too many would be considered a lack of ambition on the part of these young adults."
This article cites several research studies done to examine the reasons why, "Migrant students face a likelihood of dropping out that is approximately twice that of any "high school group"." Of all the school faculty that was interviewed the reasons they felt this was so is:
social prejudice or lack of acceptance from both parts
lack of communication between students and school personnel (teachers)
mobility
lack of educational continuity
lack of emphasis placed on education
lack of knowledge of how the educational system in the U.S. works
inappropriate home environment (not conducive to education)
It seems to me that many of the reasons are interconnected. Migrant workers come from a lower standard of living forced upon them by the system that hires them. Therefore, they have less than the "Jones'" and face prejudice and lack of acceptance by mainstream society. There is a lack of communication between students and teachers because there is a preconceived notion that these students are less interested, lack motivation and/or the understanding of the English language. There are a few of these ideas that many of the migrant students also felt were the culprit when interviewed. When the migrant students who were attending a HEP program were interviewed there were 6 reasons stated. The top reason was their need to work, because the living conditions allowed to most migrant workers there is a greater need for every able bodied family member to have a job to help pay for the bare necessities. The reasons that followed were lack of interest, moved, because migrant work is seasonal and they must go where the work is, and another reason that coincides with the moving is too many absences. It is difficult to keep up on homework when moving from place to place and attending new schools. Some felt they were too old; there is a gap between age and grade. The last reason was marriage/pregnancy & family problems.
The goal of the HEP programs is to give migrant workers the chance to gain higher education by giving them room and board while taking classes. This eliminates one of the largest obstacles. They are encouraged to interact with their peers on campus to create relationships that may be encouraging and spark more interest in higher education. I think the larger idea here is that changes need to happen to the larger system to allow migrant workers a more fair chance at obtaining a high school diploma. I think the question becomes, how do we change the system? How can a HEP program optimize what it is offering working inside a system that offers so many obstacles?