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…

The current study replicates work of Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Northeast and Islands. It describes dropout prevention programs in nine Mid-Atlantic Region (Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania) school districts serving communities with populations of 24,742-107,250 (as of July 2008). All nine…

"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…

This document discusses state initiatives to address the dropout problem by presenting an overview of programmatic strategies states are using to meet the needs of dropout-prone youth and school dropouts and strategies to finance these efforts. It provides a framework for understanding current state programs and then presents an overview of…

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)

This document is a formal analysis of and report on the House of Representative's Bill 2313, the School Dropout Demonstration Amendments; the Bill amends the School Dropout Demonstration Assistance Act of 1988, but authorizes continued funding for the original 1988 legislation, which established funding for dropout prevention programs, reentry…

West Fargo Community High School (North Dakota) was established in 1982 to provide alternative secondary education to high school dropouts and students who would be unable to function successfully in the traditional high school setting. The school was set up to be a self-supporting institution staffed by three part-time instructors and one…

The City of Austin (Texas) provided funds for a supplementary educational activity to involve at-risk minority high school students in water quality issues. The program encourages at-risk students to remain in school by providing an interesting and authentic activity to use in the development of academic skills. Program activities included testing…

This report summarizes and assesses Project REAL (Return to Employment and Learning), which attempted to attack the high rate of youth crime by focusing on youth offenders who, because they committed repeated serious offenses, were likely to become career criminals. Following a brief introduction, the report describes typical Project REAL clients…

This guide is designed as a practical tool for those who wish to meet the requirements of House Bill 1010 and Texas State Board of Education rules that mandate district dropout programs for at-risk youth. This audience includes school district superintendents, at-risk coordinators, vocational education administrators, private industry council…

Executive and legislative branches of the New York State government have made consistent efforts to address the dropout problem, which is particularly acute in urban schools, through new initiatives and increased funding. State aid programs are summarized, and suggestions for improvement are provided. (SLD)

In this report the Ohio Legislative Office of Education Oversight discusses five Ohio programs designed to serve at-risk high school students and examines their possible overlap. The report describes the goals, strategies, and structure of the following programs: (1) Occupational Work Experience (OWE), a 1-year vocational program of classroom…

The New Horizons Program of the Des Moines (Iowa) public schools provides supportive services such as counseling, attendance monitoring, career-related instruction, work experience, and coordination with community agencies to dropout-prone students and their families to improve academic achievement and increase graduation rates. Work experience is…

If vocational preparation is to become a central educational process, available to all young people whether or not they are involved in other study or training, then it must be recognized as such. While there appears to be a growing acceptance of prevocational courses from both the educational and training systems, there remain at least three…