This paper on at-risk students in high schools examines and summarizes the literature on characteristics of youth-at-risk, factors causing at-risk students to drop out, and effective methods for keeping at-risk students in school. Those students who are most at-risk have the following characteristics: poor academic record; low parental education…

Oregon's annual dropout rate increased from 6 percent in the 1992-93 school year to 7.4 percent in the 1994-95 school year. Some schools, however, managed to reduce their dropout rate. This report explores the strategies that worked for 15 Oregon high schools that reduced their dropout rate. Interviews were conducted with representatives of Oregon…

This publication, the first in a series of three monographs on school dropout research, is designed to provide background information as a foundation for local programs planning throughout the Canadian provinces. Topics in this monograph include definitions of dropouts, characteristics of persons who drop out of school, factors that identify…

Members of the educational community are increasingly concerned that the dropout rate is too high. However, concerned educators and researchers do not agree who should be included in the data to determine the dropout rate. National definitions are needed so that accurate comparisons can be made. There is also a need to assess the effectiveness of…

Vocational education is one of the strategies most frequently cited as a dropout prevention measure, and some schools can document such program outcomes as increased student attendance, retention, and graduation rates. Disadvantaged youth who take vocational courses are less likely to be unemployed and more likely to obtain better-paying jobs.…

Identifies basic issues relevant to the development of dropout prevention programs. Considers (1) risk factors leading to dropout, (2) nine possible target groups for dropout intervention, and (3) four possible constraints (cost, burden, directions, and laws) that will influence the consideration and selection of new policies or programs. (IW)

This literature review describes the major topics covered in the literature on school dropouts between 1988 and 1994, with special attention to the reasons why youth leave school. It analyzes recent literature on these topics, and links this literature to that on intervention programs meant to keep youth in school and prepare them for employment.…

American Indian and Alaska Native students have the highest dropout rate among all ethnic or racial groups, about 30%. Many studies have focused on the supposed deficits of students who drop out, such as intelligence, school attendance, and parental income. Less attention has been given to the deficits of schools and teachers pushing out Native…

This document summarizes the findings of a study of the reasons why some at-risk youth persist in special programs while others drop out. Information was gathered from 16 focus group sessions comprised of both "persisters" and "leavers" from in-school remedial programs and out-of-school youth service corps. The findings,…

This report for individuals and organizations engaged in literacy outreach activities explores a youth agency-based, social service professional-facilitated strategy for reaching out-of-school youth. Chapter I describes the growing problem of school dropout. Chapter II synthesizes governmental and scholarly studies of youth and schooling,…

This report examines the dimensions, causes, and consequences of the dropout problem for California youth aged 12-17. School enrollment data and data from the 1976 Department of Health, Education, and Welfare Survey of Income and Education (SIE) were used to assess the current dropout rate. SIE statistics were also used to describe the age, sex,…

The study provides an overview of what national surveys and the literature say about school dropouts, defined as persons who are neither enrolled in school nor high school graduates. For the last decade, the dropout rate for youth age 16-24 has remained roughly the same, about 13-14 percent. Hispanics, Blacks, and economically and educationally…

This report develops a topology of approaches to high school dropout prevention, and uses it to examine and review the effectiveness of existing programs, and to identify major gaps in current practice and research. Research on dropouts was reviewed to identify the kinds of students who drop out and their reasons for dropping out. Based on this…

Vocational education has a significant role to play in dropout prevention because studies show a positive correlation between involvement in vocational education and school completion. Students involved in vocational education are more likely to be involved in school-sponsored activities that help them shape goals for themselves and the future.…

The costly supplemental or alternative programs that combat chronic school failure and continued high dropout rates are not always effective for the following reasons: (1) students do not always find out which programs are available, and (2) if no suitable program is available, there is usually no one responsible for trying to create one. People…