The issue of students dropping out before completing secondary education is a global concern with significant individual and societal consequences. Various terms, such as Early School Leaving (ESL), Early Leaving from Education and Training (ELET), and school dropout, reflect different policy perspectives on this phenomenon. Despite international…

Quality data can be a powerful tool for teachers, administrators and policymakers to use when trying to improve schools or individual programs. Data can show if a dropout prevention program is working; if students are entering postsecondary programs ready to learn; and how students are doing once they leave the P-20 educational system. This…

The school dropout rate in America is too high, especially for low-income students and those from nondominant racial or ethnic groups. For many students, the social-psychological and behavioral disengagement from school that leads to dropping out often begins in middle school. Research on early adolescents confirms that increasing the perceived…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) To Be Continued: Congress Passes Continuing Resolution to Keep Government Running, Buys Time to Pass Appropriations…

The 2008 Leaders Emerging Issues Program brought together a bipartisan group of state legislative leaders with experts in education and public policy to explore potential solutions to the nation's dropout crisis. Participants explored the basic elements of a comprehensive education system that meets the needs of all students, especially those at…

Each year, more than 8,200 young Philadelphians drop out of school. The first step to a solution, taken in 2005, was the gathering and examination of data to truly understand the dimensions of the problem and the characteristics of struggling students and out-of-school Philadelphia youth. These studies, conducted by researchers at the University…

At Coffee High School in Douglas, Georgia, a needs assessment committee recommended the replacement of the traditional nine-month program with a quarter system using longer class sessions and allowing more individual attention. The committee members chose the Better Learning Opportunities for Children (BLOC) Program. Implementation involved…

This report describes the success of SWAS (School Within a School), an early dropout intervention program designed for average to above-average at-risk middle school students selected by the assistant principal. SWAS is a temporary self-contained institution within Davisville Middle School, North Kingstown, Rhode Island. As a prerequisite to…

Today, over 70 percent of the students of the Providence (Rhode Island) public schools are people of color. The dropout rate in Providence has been steadily decreasing over the last decade, but it remains high, ranked 16th among large cities in 1992. Race and ethnicity are relevant factors in scholastic achievement in Providence, and for that…

This paper describes the Summer Training and Education Program (STEP) for at-risk students that combines remedial reading and math instruction, education on responsible sexual attitudes and behavior, and work experience. During two consecutive summers, STEP participants receive 90 hours of remedial instruction in reading and math (Practical…

Discusses successful strategies for preventing Black students from leaving school before graduation. Argues that the best solution to this complex problem is to ensure that Black children learn the necessary academic and cognitive skills in school before proceeding to the next grade level. (FMW)

Describes an effective dropout prevention program at an Orlando, Florida, middle school. Staff identified 90 at-risk seventh graders, assigning 45 to 3 seventh-grade teaching teams and the remaining 45 to an experimental student team (the Dragons) promising to deliver a traditional curriculum in a nontraditional, nonremedial way. Shadow study of…

This document describes a program developed and implemented in three Philadelphia schools for the purpose of reducing the number of dropouts at the elementary, junior high, and high school levels. A needs assessment of the three schools, a review of the related literature, and the objectives of the program are provided. Specific strategies…

Evaluates a five-year university-school partnership/dropout prevention program involving Fordham University's Graduate Schools of Education and Social Services and five New York City public schools with substantial minority populations. Results show that absenteeism declined significantly, child care conditions improved modestly, self-esteem…

The Elementary At-Risk Program was an intensive counseling, guidance, community outreach, and family case-management support system for a selected group of acutely at-risk students (approximately 60 students at one level and 180 students at another) in eight Houston (Texas) Independent School District (ISD) elementary schools. Social worker…