This project explores why children from historically disadvantaged groups in the country experience higher rates of dropout (and less potential for social mobility) and attempt to uncover the decision-making processes and factors affecting these rates. Though education has been cited by many scholars as the primary source of equalization in a capitalist society, the Peruvian case underlines the imperative of discussing how —power and inequality mediate people's access to educational freedoms—(Jeffrey et. al., 2008: 31). Social and economic inequality remain primary development challenges for Peru, and education has been promoted nationally as a means for their betterment. This project explores the factors underlying indigenous children's inability to access this supposed source of mobility.

In order to truly understand these factors, a holistic and multi-disciplinary approach is necessary. Drawing on a theoretical framework comprised of social anthropology, educational sociology, and capabilities approaches, this project will address primarily the following research questions:

Why do children drop out of secondary school at particularly high rates in rural communities of Peru? How do children and their household members (parents, caregivers, siblings) negotiate decisions around dropping out of/staying in secondary school; how does hope for and consideration of children's social and economic future factor in to these decisions? What are the main personal factors and social characteristics that threaten or support children?s completion of secondary school (e.g. socio-economic status, ethnicity/native language, gender, parental education, birth order, and working status)? What are the main environmental factors that threaten or support children?s completion of secondary school (e.g. quality of the education system, teacher and administrator attitudes, etc.)?