This booklet for mentors is part of a series of program materials for a school-based intervention process to help at-risk students stay in school. An introduction discusses the role of the mentor and the skills a mentor will need to promote the student's self-development. These skills are listening actively, problem solving, developing motivation,…

The number of dropouts is increasing and is particularly high in urban areas and among minority students. Dropouts earn less over their lifetimes, are in poorer health, and do not have the technological skills needed for newly-developing jobs. The federal government, the private sector, and educators have made serious commitments to bring down the…

A Minnesota study examined the secondary school dropout problem from the perspective of both the education system and the employment/training system. Findings from a pilot study involving 24 public secondary schools and the 24 counterpart Comprehensive Employment and Training Act agencies were compared with information from national and state…

The primary research objectives of the 44-month project were to determine the extent to which members of experimental and control groups would differ, after training in academic achievement, vocational achievement, personal-social characteristics, and job placement and job success. The subjects were unemployed or underemployed school dropouts,…

The Street Academies discussed in this evaluation report are considered to represent outstanding attempts to develop positive culturally different instructional models, rather than the compensatory deficit disadvantaged models that are utilized by regular school programs. Seven chapters discuss the background of the Academies, purposes and…

The document is a year-end report of a comprehensive student placement and followup program which is part of the career education project of Sarasota County, Florida. An overview of three basic components of the district-wide system is presented: (1) exit interview format--an in-depth counseling session with dropouts and potential early school…

In an effort to determine variables related to Mexican American school dropouts' decisions to quit school and their orientations toward further educational attainment, personal interviews were conducted in 1967 with 74 Mexican American high school dropouts residing in 4 rural south Texas counties. The variables examined included (1) decision to…

The PASSAGEWAY Project (Program To Assist Secondary Students in Achieving Gainful Employment for West Alabama Youth) sought to increase the academic, social, and job skills of high-risk and dropout special education students. A cooperative program of the University of West Alabama, public schools, businesses, and social service agencies, the…

In 1993-94, the Austin (Texas) Independent School District (AISD) allocated money to four operations areas for five dropout prevention programs for overage ninth graders. Three of the five area dropout programs had positive effects on the dropout rates of students served. The dropout rates for these programs were lower than the sixth six-weeks…

The JOBSTART demonstration program provided education and vocational training, support services, and job placement assistance to educationally disadvantaged dropouts aged 17-21 at 13 sites. An evaluation assessed whether helping disadvantaged dropouts increase their educational attainment led to increased earnings. A total of 2,312 people were…

This ERIC digest examines the extent of early school leaving among migrants, conditions that precede early school leaving, common features of programs that work to retrieve dropouts, and illustrative programs that exhibit these features. The Migrant Attrition Project estimates a 45% national dropout rate of migrant students. Conditions that lead…

This guide is intended to provide teachers and administrators, especially in West Virginia, with information about high school dropouts, their characteristics, and ways to retain potential dropouts in high school. A pretest and answer key precede the text of the report. The first section presents an overview of the dropout problem and its…

Arguing that educational disadvantage, underachievement, and dropping out are problems that originate with schools as well as students, this document describes the Work and Learning Center in Madison, Wisconsin, that was designed to meet the needs of high school dropouts. The first section gives disadvantaged students' perspectives on the school…

This guide explores ways that schools can put the idea of integrating educational and community support for dropout prevention to work in the school and community. Part 1, "Implementing a Plan for Restructuring the School," recommends the formation of a task force to involve the community and school staff from the start. It also describes the…

This study evaluated the effectiveness of an educational and treatment program for high school dropouts initiated by a private alternative school contracting with a graduate school of social work. The Cassata Program, a joint effort by the Cassata Learning Center and the University of Texas at Arlington, was designed to improve students' academic…