Dayton (Ohio) Public Schools have two new programs for potential dropouts, called University Prep Program and New Options for Work, that take the students out of classes with younger students and treat them as the young adults they are. (MLF)

For more than two decades, many states have required students to pass exit examinations to obtain high school diplomas. Despite these sweeping policy initiatives, we know relatively little about whether such policies are related to the chances that high school students will obtain diplomas. The authors estimate the association between high school…

This study attempts to answer the following research question: What are the factors that prevent students from completing high school? The participants in this study included 228 current and recent students from General Educational Development (GED) programs across the state of Texas. In an effort to gain a clearer picture of circumstances faced…

Dropping out of high school is related to a number of negative outcomes. For example, the average income of persons ages 18 through 65 who had not completed high school was roughly $20,100 in 2005.1 By comparison, the average income of persons ages 18 through 65 who completed their education with a high school credential, including a General…

This study set out to explore the mechanisms for educating court-involved youth in Chicago, learn about the available educational options, and the barriers, if any, these young people face when continuing in or returning to school. A key finding is that educational options in Chicago that are designed expressly for court-involved youth who are…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether a combination of three factors: (1) a reduced student teacher ratio (class size education); (2) a mentorship program and (3) a varied curriculum, via use of the multiple intelligences would successfully improve secondary at risk youths' high school graduation rates. The graduation rate and GED…

Nearly 15 percent of the high school diplomas issued in the United States in 1981 were based upon performance on the Tests of General Educational Development (GED). The purpose of this study is to describe: (1) the ways that adults prepare for the test; (2) the test performance of population sub-groups, and (3) the test candidates employment and…

The results of two nationwide administrations of the 1988 General Educational Development (GED) tests were compared. The first, a norming study, was based on 34,548 GED tests taken by graduating high school seniors. The second study was based on 55,154 GED test item sets administered to adult examinees who had taken the test for diploma…

Today and every day, in neighborhoods and communities throughout Philadelphia, young people are making decisions that will change their lives forever. Some will decide to stay in school, graduate, and prepare themselves for college and careers. Others, who left school without a diploma, will summon the courage to seek out educational programs they…

The number of high school age students who do not complete high school is receiving increased attention as a serious challenge facing the educational system. This is happening for several reasons. New research estimates that about 30 percent of high school students fail to earn a diploma in the standard number of years, a higher figure than state…

This annotated bibliography includes a separate entry for each of 57 research reports written about the General Educational Development (GED) tests. For inclusion, documents were required to meet three criteria. They must: (1) focus on outcomes of GED graduation; (2) present some form of empirical, research-based evidence concerning the outcomes…

The California High School Proficiency Exam (CHSPE) allows a 16-or-17 year old who passes it to leave school as early as age 16, with parental permission, earning the legal equivalent of a diploma. The exam focuses on basic reading and computing skills. In this study, a variety of findings are reported. School districts have a budgetary…

The level of equivalence was compared for three kindergarten through grade 12 exit programs: (1) the Adult Basic Education (ABE) program; (2) the Division IV program through the regular high school channel; and (3) the General Educational Development (GED) tests. Comparisons were made for: time spent in course completion; objectives; emphasis of…

Two studies investigated the performance of Florida high school seniors on the Tests of General Educational Development (GED Tests). The GED Test Battery, as revised in 1980, consists of 290 items in 5 subject areas (writing, social studies, science, reading, and mathematics). In the first study, the performance of 1,200 Florida students was…

The purpose of Even Start, as outlined in federal legislation, is to help break the intergenerational cycle of poverty and low literacy by providing a unified family literacy program for low-income families. Even Start has three related goals: (1) to help parents improve their literacy or basic education skills; (2) to help parents become full…