If you know of any persons that were identified as a gifted student at some point in their academic career and dropped out of an urban high school please contact me via email at...
A few thoughts...
In your post I do not see the name of a professor overseeing your work, therefore I am leery.
Additionally, some might say it would violate ethics to contact you and identify a third party. I have a concern for protecting the privacy of any prospective human subject. I would think you may cast a wider net by creating and posting a survey which individuals could review and consider participation. It is possible that readers on the forum may be willing to share a link to a posted survey, while they may be unwilling to contact you directly via e-mail. The potential benefits of participating must outweigh the potential risks, and confidentiality/anonymity must be guaranteed.
Is this your
Walden University? You might consider reading more about IRBs on the internet... such as...
The fundamental purpose of IRB review of informed consent is to assure that the rights and welfare of subjects are protected. A signed informed consent document is evidence that the document has been provided to a prospective subject (and presumably, explained) and that the subject has agreed to participate in the research. IRB review of informed consent documents also ensures that the institution has complied with applicable regulations.
While I understand your thesis is titled "a case study analysis", I see little benefit to society from such an endeavor unless there is a companion study on non-urban (rural, suburban, etc) youth... allowing one to compare/contrast experiences after dropping out. For example: existing support system and/or ability to build a support system leading to positives such as GED, apprenticeship, community college, or floundering with possibly a series of low-wage jobs, crime as a source of income, incarceration.
Your dissertation sounds as though it will consist of anecdotal evidence, and not be based on empirical evidence. Therefore I have a concern for an incomplete picture. Some may call this bias.
As a means to find your target subjects, you may wish to review longitudinal data collected by various State's Department of Education. You may be able to identify high schools with gifted pupils not graduating and communicate with these schools regarding your research.
As an alternative, could you consider a literature review? Would that meet the criteria for your dissertation?
Just my 2 cents.
