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An exploratory study examined the past and present participation in education of 34 parents enrolled in 5 model family literacy programs in North Carolina and Kentucky. All respondents were high school dropouts. Over half had dropped out of adult basic education classes before completing a high school equivalency certificate. The study focused on respondents' stated reasons for dropping out of high school and for entering educational programs as adults. The following data were collected: (1) descriptive information collected by teachers at the family literacy sites, including demographic descriptions and respondents' stated reasons for entering the programs; (2) field notes generated during investigators' site visits; and (3) in-depth interviews with respondents. Study results showed that school dropout was not simply a function of low attendance, low grades, poor peer relations, substance abuse, and delinquent behavior, although all factors were present. Underlying causes were traced to a process of disengagement from schooling that began at the transition from elementary to middle school. The sense of alienation from schooling persisted through young adulthood and was an important factor in decisions to drop out of adult basic education programs. Parents persisted in family literacy programs because programs addressed that sense of alienation. Parents and children developed not only literacy skills but also an identification with schooling. (80 references) (YLB)