The present high school graduation rate for migrant students is approximately 50%, as compared to the 90% dropout rate of 20 years ago. Migrant Education's success has encouraged recent changes in funding to extend services to those youths between 17 and 21 who have not graduated. Attempts to draw dropout youths back to regular or alternative…

This report contains detailed descriptions of three program recommendations regarding public school choice. The recommendations are a result of a study conducted by the New Jersey Department of Education, in which public school choice and magnet schools were examined. The three recommended programs described are (1) Intradistrict Choice Program;…

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…

The Hastings Alternative School Program (HASP), designed for at-risk students, operates within Hastings-on-Hudson (New York) High School's regular program. Students are given an external structure and set of expectations enforced by an accountability system stressing communication and student responsibility. Nearly half of all HASP students go on…

Anti-truancy efforts are not new, but there are powerful new incentives which are now spurring school officials' interest in keeping students in class and their school. Not only does the "No Child Left Behind" Act require schools to boost student attendance and lower dropout rates, schools will never be able to succeed in meeting the law's Annual…

Following up on the work of a task force that studied the dropout problem in the Los Angeles Unified School District and developed recommendations for addressing that problem, this report describes current dropout prevention efforts and proposals for expansion and presents recommendations for new approaches. Six major categories of programs are…

This report presents a description and evaluation of the Auxiliary Services Program. This program provided counseling, remedial math and remedial reading instruction, and high school equivalency study to Title I students who were two or more years below grade level. Eleven day and evening centers located in various boroughs in New York…

Risks are taken in establishing alternative school programs but they can be minimized by giving the proper attention to several critical factors. (Author)

Binghampton (New York) Schools begin their dropout prevention efforts even before children are born--as early as the third trimester of pregnancy. One intervention program is PACT (Parents and Children Together), which helps parents become better "first teachers." The program's success derives from parents' effectiveness as teachers and…

New York City's Dropout Prevention Program's success depended on more than the usual commitment of resources, shared ideals, and dedicated people. A flexible planning framework was needed to overcome collaborators' mutual mistrust, identify common ground, and gain the support of line staff and top leadership in schools and in community…

Describes a south Tucson elementary school's efforts to keep its Hispanic and Native American student population actively engaged through the Educational and Community Change Project. Teachers are reinventing their own beliefs and expectations while constructing class dialog around children's interests and personal theories. A pumpkin…

The same family and community involvement seen in the Boston (Massachusetts) Whole Village Project has guided the efforts of six Maryland high schools to create school and family partnerships. All six schools are part of Maryland's Tomorrow dropout prevention initiative. (SLD)

To address the district's pregnant-student dropout problem, the Memphis City Schools initiated the Adolescent Parenting Program (APP), in cooperation with several community agencies. The program provides comprehensive services and an incentive program to ensure students' progress toward graduation. According to this program evaluation, the APP has…

The factors that contribute to student dropouts have been the focus of extensive deliberation during the last decade. Despite expanded attention, the number of dropouts remains unacceptably high. Drawing on the authors' 17-year history of dropout research in Texas, Arizona, and across the country, this article describes the alarming dropout rates,…