High school dropouts who return to school encounter many challenges. These obstacles increase the probability that a second dropout event will occur. This leaves leaders in Dropout Recovery programs with little ability to predict which students will stay in school and which are likely to leave again. However, what if a promising new scale could…

Among the diverse and varied missions of community colleges is the provision of instruction for students who have either been underserved by their previous educational institutions or not had the opportunity to complete high school. Included under this umbrella are low-performing high school students, individuals with low basic skills, and those…

The concept of student engagement is critical in the discussion of school reform. This issue is particularly important in dropout prevention programs such as the alternative high school, although little empirical work guides intervention efforts. In this qualitative research, ethnographic observations were combined with interviews with 24 students…

Dan Bloom of MDRC examines policies and programs designed to help high school dropouts improve their educational attainment and labor market outcomes. So called "second-chance" programs, he says, have long provided some combination of education, training, employment, counseling, and social services. But the research record on their effectiveness…

Unaffiliated with the city schools, Milwaukee's community-based Journey House program helps dropouts prepare for General Educational Development (G.E.D.) tests. (Author/JM)

In 18 Appalachian Tennessee counties, an aggressive "war on illiteracy" recruits former dropouts to GED (high school equivalency) classes, literacy classes for those with grade 8-9 reading level, and basic skills classes. People who almost finished high school may earn diplomas through approved adult classes. Classes are taught by…

A high school equivalency program held in a Baltimore, Maryland, housing project reported that last year 67 percent of the women who took the test passed it. Key components are computer-assisted instruction and computer monitoring of the womens' progress. Strategies for setting up such a program are offered. (MLF)

Although the national reports have not focused on the problem, effective schools must address the needs of potential school dropouts. The author rebuts some of the common arguments against dropout prevention programs, arguing that successful dropout prevention is one of the key indicators of overall school effectiveness. (Author/TE)

Describes the YouthBuild program in Fayette County, West Virginia, a federally funded program administered locally by the Southern Appalachian Labor School. Participants are unemployed youths aged 16-24, mostly school dropouts, who alternate between 1 week of training in repairing and building houses and 1 week studying for a GED or preparing for…

Since school dropouts who receive the General Education Diploma are discriminated against because they do not possess a standard high school diploma, a plan is presented that recognizes such discrimination and provides a process for making standard diplomas available to dropouts in special education and general categories of intelligence. (MH)

Discusses the Young Adult Learning Academy (YALA) in Manhattan, which offers an opportunity for school dropouts to get an equivalent of a high school degree and partake in job preparation programs. Describes the role of technology and the Youth Internship Program which trains students to work in day-care centers. (AEF)

Reviews the history of night schools that provide secondary equivalency programs in the Soviet Union and Russia. Asserts that now is the appropriate time to make changes in the objectives and curriculum of these programs. Recommends that the curriculum be more differentiated so that a wider range of students can be served and broader educational…

Implementation and impact findings from a large evaluation of federally funded dropout prevention programs suggest that alternative middle schools for younger students and GED programs for older students are promising. Striving to understand the nature of academic, social, and personal problems affecting students and tailoring services to address…

According to a study at the University of Wisconsin, the General Educational Development (GED) credential does not insure that students are prepared for college. The GED does not help identify those who will succeed in college. To raise the level of the equivalency certificate, GED preparations should focus on reading, writing, and mathematics.…

The Youth Opportunities Unlimited (Y.O.U.) program, operated by the St. Louis County Juvenile Court, Clayton, Missouri, provides career orientation and counseling, high school equivalency and remedial education, and placement and follow-up to deliquent school dropouts age sixteen and older. Community organizations help to promote client status…