High school students with disabilities who drop out are costly to society. Compared to those who graduate, they are more likely to be unemployed, dependent on public services, and involved in the criminal justice system. Consequently, helping students with disabilities graduate has become a prominent national concern. Students with disabilities…

High school students with disabilities who drop out are costly to society. Compared to those who graduate, they are more likely to be unemployed, dependent on public services, and involved in the criminal justice system. Consequently, helping students with disabilities graduate has become a prominent national concern. Students with disabilities…

This report describes three model programs in dropout prevention that were developed for three school systems, Granville, Haywood, and Wake Counties, in the State of North Carolina. The three model programs have several general characteristics in common: planning; comprehensiveness; collaboration; commitment of a wide range of people; and dropout…

Cincinnati (Ohio) has established a collaborative effort between the private sector, the Cincinnati Public Schools, and public elected officials for the purpose of reducing dropouts and reducing youth unemployment. Started in 1986, the Cincinnati Youth Collaborative (CYC) immediately began to study relevant data from the schools, defined at-risk…

This report discusses the situation--a 43 percent attrition rate in public schools--leading to the formation of the Dropout Prevention and Recovery (DPR) program, implemented in the Los Angeles Unified School District in January 1985, and describes activities undertaken as part of the pilot program. The main body of the report, presented in…

Few researchers have studied the female dropout and too few dropout prevention programs are specifically designed to help girls complete high school. This paper describes programs and state policy initiatives that show promise in helping young women complete their education. They are used by schools and outside organizations to serve and encourage…

Describes how three Colorado school systems joined together and set up a dropout prevention commission that used a seven-step approach to work at reducing student dropout rates. (MD)

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), in its efforts to improve the economy and quality of life in the Appalachian Region, has identified high school dropouts as a major stumbling block to the area's economic growth. Findings of ARC-sponsored research on dropouts include the following: (1) high school dropouts are a serious problem in…

Recent statistics indicate an increase in the rate of teen pregnancy and parenthood, which in turn indicates a need for increasing services at school sites. The younger the teen is at the time of the first pregnancy, the greater the likelihood that she will drop out of high school due to the barriers of child care, family dysfunctions, and lack of…

A description is given of "Operation Rescue," a program designed to find and implement solutions to the dropout problem. A discussion of the reasons students drop out of school takes into consideration the pressures of society that tend to overwhelm at-risk students. These include environmental, academic, survival, and social factors…

Established in 1970 and operated by the Association for the Advancement of Mexican Americans, the George I. Sanchez Junior Senior High School (Houston, Texas) is an alternative school for Hispanics in grades 7-12. The school, staffed originally by volunteers, acquired a full-time executive director in 1973, established relations whith the Houston…

This Dropout Prevention Plan was designed for the Duval County Public Schools in Jacksonville, Florida. It provides for the identification of potential dropouts and various interventions to help reduce the dropout rate. Students who have been unsuccessful in the regular educational programs are targeted. Other goals are to develop the skills of…

This report comprises papers that discuss how grassroots organizations, police involvement, and partnerships with local government and boards of education can prevent youth from criminal involvement through participation in productive and enjoyable work and activities. The following articles are included: (1) "Police Officers Can 'Prevent'…

The Dayton (Ohio) Public Schools have developed a comprehensive dropout prevention program to meet the needs of at-risk middle school students. The general needs of the middle school student were addressed through a restructuring of the middle schools that limited the schools to grades 7 and 8 and organized them into "cluster teams" to…

School dropouts not only limit the potential of their own lives but have a negative impact on society. This paper provides a brief description of efforts at Federal, State and local school dsitrict levels in the area of dropout prevention. An overview is given of financial assistance that has been made available through the Elementary and…