To give Congress the information it needs to make informed decisions about initiatives aimed at school dropouts, the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) has published a two-phase report: Phase 1, "School Dropouts: The Extent and Name of the Problem" (see ED 274 756), completed in 1986, provides information on the dropout rate, characteristics of dropouts and potential dropouts, and the employment implications of dropping out of school; and Phase 2, "School Dropouts: Survey of Local Programs" (see ED 288 929), published in 1987, provides the results of a survey of local school officials about their dropout programs and identifies what local program administrators view as the obstacles to, and characteristics of, effective programs. This report includes descriptions of some of the 20 programs described in Phase 2 of the GAO report and, though it concluded that no single model for serving potential dropouts could be found, common elements of what appear to be effective programs are identified as follows: (1) multiple services offered to serve multiple needs; (2) some type of basic education, counseling, and other support services; (3) general educational development (GED) preparation for youth who have already dropped out of school; and (4) a caring and committed staff, secure learning environment, personalized instruction, low student-teacher ratio, and program flexibility. An agenda for school boards to consider is proposed along with a list of policies that should be reviewed in addressing the dropout problem. (MLF)