Chile offers high school dropouts a chance to graduate through enrollment in Second Opportunity Centers, located in cities ranging in population from 5 million inhabitants to less than 100,000. Participants in 18 centers were classified into four distinct classes based on their family situation, handicaps, employment, experience with…

This article investigates the career paths of learners who attended Youthreach education centres. Youthreach originated in 1989 as an alternative pathway for early school learners experiencing disadvantage. Youthreach is an underresearched sector of the education system, even less is known about the career progression of Youthreach graduates. This…

The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program is a residential, quasi-military program that serves young people ages 16 to 18 who are struggling to complete their high school credential. This is the ninth report in an annual series that RAND researchers have issued. The prior annual reports cover 2015 through 2022. Each annual report documents the…

This study investigates the change in students' cognitive engagement as a result of participation in a Flexible Learning Programme. Using an understanding of engagement as both a process and a relationship between the students and their school, we sought to determine whether students' perception of competency, willingness to engage, and…

This study reports on the implementation of Gateway to College, a program whose mission is to serve students who have dropped out of high school, or who are at risk of dropping out of high school, by allowing them to earn a high school diploma and credits toward a postsecondary degree. Gateway to College is uniquely ambitious in providing…

In successful programs for marginal youth, teachers extend their role and create bonds with their students. In the extended role, teachers interact with students in a more personal way, provide learning experiences that promote competence and success, and establish and maintain high but realistic expectations. This role requires the development of…

This document reports on a study of the self-concept of students enrolled in a continuation high school. A random sample of 40 students was selected from a school of 190 students. All were administered the Piers-Harris Children's Self Concept Scale to determine their feelings about themselves, and an author-prepared questionnaire to determine…

Determined the prevalence of health-risk behaviors among Texas high school students attending dropout prevention/recovery alternative schools. Student surveys indicated that a substantial number participated in behaviors that placed them at acute or chronic health risk. There were differences in prevalence of risk behaviors by gender,…

This study concerns school dropouts in the Boston Public School system. It is divided into three sections which deal with: (1) a review of research studies on the causes of school dropout; (2) statistical analysis of the Boston situation by race and ethnic origin, gender, grade, and location; and (3) a review of prevention/intervention programs,…

Students who eventually drop out of school have a long-term disadvantage in becoming productive citizens. The traditionally structured U.S. high school system does not facilitate high school education for at-risk students. Some schools, however, do organize themselves around the needs of the at-risk student population. This study analyzed the…

CONTACT is an alternative school program for dropout students who return, and for students who do not benefit from a regular secondary school program. Presented are a history of CONTACT school, a study design, a description of how student needs are identified, and a section on the evaluation instruments. Study results attempt to answer questions…

The document seeks to identify the issues, programs, and resources most relevant to Youth Development Programs (YDPs) engaged in education programs. YDPs, under the direction of the Office of Economic Opportunity, are designed to help disadvantaged youth while involving them in establishing and operating youth councils and various program…

Discusses alternative programs and schools visited by the Hispanic Dropout Project. Notes a pervasive "disconnect" between alternative programs and "regular" schools, and outlines lessons alternative programs have to offer traditional schools. (SR)

The study examined whether a change in school site affected the school attendance of 13 male Chicano gang members, 13 to 18 years of age, admitted to a community-based delinquency and gang violence prevention project. Since an active Alternative Studies Program, designed for students with special learning problems or for working students, already…

The coupling behavior of school systems was examined in this study of how school districts attempt to control and supervise alternative programs. Four alternative high schools for actual and potential dropouts, run by community-based organizations but dependent on local education agencies (LEAs) for student referral and program accreditation, were…