This brief reports on the first year of a promising effort in Texas to deepen the postsecondary preparation that schools and programs offer. With support from the Greater Texas Foundation (GTF) and coaching and technical assistance from Jobs for the Future (JFF), five sites have begun using JFF's Back on Track: Postsecondary Success model and…

This paper is concerned with the gap in educational provision for vulnerable learners in Malawi who are at risk of falling behind and dropping out of school due to irregular attendance. It draws on a study in high HIV-prevalence areas that explores the patterns of inequality and disadvantage that disrupt learning and uses this knowledge to design…

This technical brief describes updates to a database of dropout prevention programs and policies in 2006/07 created by the Regional Education Laboratory (REL) Northeast and Islands and described in the Issues & Answers report, "Piloting a searchable database of dropout prevention programs in nine low-income urban school districts in the…

For over 17 years, Boston Day and Evening Academy has served a population of young people often left behind: those who are off track to high school graduation or who have dropped out altogether. Through its competency-based approach, BDEA has tackled one of the toughest education conundrums of our time: how to recover low-skilled students two or…

This article discusses an educational practice that has been introduced in Rwanda, which aims to bring back into the formal education system children who are out-of-school or unschooled, even though they are over the legal enrolment age. The authors analyse this intensive programme, designed for children at that age and adapted to their daily…

Summarizes the major issues and perspectives related to dropout prevention. Reviews general strategies and school-based efforts, with emphasis on community involvement and the teacher-student relationship. Discusses related social and cultural issues, and examines the alternative school approach. Contains 23 references. (SV)

Describes Meridian Academy, a small alternative high school for dropouts and potential dropouts near Boise, Idaho. Discusses the school's family-like supportive environment, teaching strategies that emphasize student projects and active learning, and discipline policies and practices. Sidebar presents a Meridian Academy teacher who was once an…

Describes a South Carolina program, "Tender Loving Counseling," designed to identify potential dropouts for group and individual counseling. Describes focus of the program to be on building self-concept, motivation, and study skills. (TE)

Discusses the importance of educating the growing Hispanic population in Catholic schools, highlighting such effects of the high drop-out rate as underemployment, poorer health, debilitated self-esteem, decreased political participation, and increased criminal behavior. Provides examples of techniques and programs that help keep Hispanic students…

Describes Mat-Su Alternative School (Wasilla, Alaska), which accepts dropouts age 15 to 21. School features include informal environment; small class size; comfortable teacher/student relationships; unconventional projects to engage student interest; parenting classes, day care for students' children, and other student support services; and…

American Indian and Alaska Native students have the highest dropout rate among all ethnic or racial groups, about 30%. Many studies have focused on the supposed deficits of students who drop out, such as intelligence, school attendance, and parental income. Less attention has been given to the deficits of schools and teachers pushing out Native…

This report profiles 16 successful programs currently serving migrant secondary students and out-of-school youth. Background information describes instructional and support-service strategies that have been effective in migrant programs. Strategies include advocacy, assisted studies, career development, counseling, credit accrual, distance…

This paper discusses the evaluation of 4 of the 12 project sites that are participating in a U.S. Department of Education demonstration program to implement dropout prevention or reentry models that include vocational education as the key intervention strategy. The evaluation study includes the following: (1) identification of factors that affect…

It is the position of the Texas Council on Vocational Education that students at high risk of dropping out of school need an instructional approach that is comprehensive, individualized, and caring. Vocational education provides an important learning alternative that can serve as a powerful component of dropout prevention and recovery programs. In…

The David School in rural Floyd County, Kentucky, is a small private nonprofit high school that has served high-risk students and returned dropouts for the past 22 years. All students receive job training in a practical field and do not graduate until they have a well-paying job or are enrolled in college or vocational training. (LP)