Reviews research on the characteristics of the dropout (relationships, socioeconomic status, attitudes, behavior, school performance); the economic and social costs of dropping out; and current efforts for dropout assistance or dropout prevention. (SJL)

Experiences from dropout programs that serve at-risk students at a North Carolina school district identify planning and management considerations. Among these are that dropout rates and other measures of success must be standardized; and staff selection, duty assignments, and workloads are different for at-risk educators because of inordinate time…

Students with and without disabilities are dropping out of school at an alarming rate. However, the precise extent of the problem remains elusive because individual schools, school districts, and state departments of education often use different definitional criteria and calculation methods. In addition, specific reasons why students drop out…

The primary goal of a districtwide dropout-prevention program is to develop, implement, and enhance instructional and programmatic components that have proven effective in educational research and practice and thus resulted in fewer students dropping out of school prior to high school graduation. This paper describes the development and…

This West Virginia community resource guide discusses the growing crisis of school dropouts, reviews some of the consequences of dropping out of school, and provides guidance for schools and communities who seek to initiate a dropout prevention program. After an introductory overview of the dropout problem; the human, health, and educational…

This document comprises an evaluation of the first-year implementation of the New York City Board of Education's three-year Dropout Prevention Program (DPP), implemented in 10 high schools and 29 middle schools; and the Attendance Improvement Dropout Prevention (AIDP) program, implemented in 3 high schools. Two intervention models were implemented…

Students drop out of school because of a variety of family, economic, and racial factors that can be categorized as either alienation, lack of motivation, or disadvantage. The key to reducing the dropout rate is helping youth to overcome their sense of disconnection. Students with low motivation to attend school have shown improvement in school…

This bibliography provides brief annotations of 12 journal articles, project reports, and books on programs for dropout pregnant and parenting adolescents. Most of the documents cited describe particular programs in American cities. (KH)

The Portland (Oregon) School District defines a school leaver as any student who is registered during the school year, leaves school, does not enter another school in the district that year, and for whom no request for transfer or withdrawal is entered. The district offers an array of programs that address the problem of school leavers. At the…

Changes that might reduce dropout rates as high school graduation standards are raised are discussed. A review of research on successful dropout prevention programs reveals four common characteristics: (1) they separate potential dropouts from other students; (2) they have strong vocational components; (3) they utilize out-of-class learning; and…

To give Congress the information it needs to make informed decisions about initiatives aimed at school dropouts, the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) has published a two-phase report: Phase 1, "School Dropouts: The Extent and Name of the Problem" (see ED 274 756), completed in 1986, provides information on the dropout rate, characteristics of…

A survey of the school dropout problem in the United States focuses attention on (1) defining school dropouts, (2) the magnitude of the dropout problem, (3) types and extent of research on school dropouts, (4) why pupils drop out of school, (5) factors leading to early school withdrawal, (6) what happens to school dropouts, (7) employment…

The document reports on the activities undertaken by occupational specialists for junior and senior high schools of Sarasota County, Florida, in the identification and placement of non-returning students or no-shows. The identification of actual and potential no-shows involves several processes and those who request assistance are presented with…

A program is reported for potential and actual high school dropouts that combines academic courses with work experience, and is designed to demonstrate the relationship between education and the world of work. Some of the objectives of the program were to test the feasibility of a joint educational approach of trade instructors and academic…

A study was conducted (1) to examine characteristics of programs in which students were enrolled, (2) to determine which activities were most effective in dealing with dropouts, and (3) to validate program components that have previously been associated with retentive capacity. Results are reported and discussed. (CT)