This report describes three model programs in dropout prevention that were developed for three school systems, Granville, Haywood, and Wake Counties, in the State of North Carolina. The three model programs have several general characteristics in common: planning; comprehensiveness; collaboration; commitment of a wide range of people; and dropout…

An evaluation was conducted of a 3-year demonstration program the purpose of which was to demonstrate the efficacy of projects that included vocational education as a key component in encouraging at-risk youth to remain in or return to school. Six of the 10 project grantees, funded under the Cooperative Demonstration Program of the Carl D. Perkins…

The 1988/89 New York City high school Inquiry Demonstration Project (IDP) met or surpassed its evaluation criteria. The IDP comprised the Urban Academy, a laboratory school serving high-risk students, and an on-site staff development program in seven high schools. The overall goal was to promote the use of the inquiry method in the classroom. The…

This guidebook is part of a series of program materials for a school-based intervention process to help at-risk students stay in school. It is intended for participating adults and begins by giving them a quick look at the extent of the dropout problem nationwide. The booklet goes on to provide a discussion of the basic steps of the helping…

A study assessed the effectiveness of various ways of identifying at-risk middle school students for participation in a dropout prevention program. It was considered important to explore factors related to identifying students who were most in need of the program. During the first semester of the project, teacher recommendations, attendance, age,…

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…

The Austin (Texas) Independent School District (AISD) obtained federal grant funds for a school dropout demonstration assistance program, which began operating in 1988-89 as Project GRAD (Grant Research About Dropouts). Project components included the following: (1) piloting the use of dropout intervention specialists at 10 high schools; (2)…

The exemplary high school dropout prevention programs funded by the federal Vocational Education Cooperative Demonstration Program that are profiled in this document reveal several elements necessary for success in an enhanced vocational education program: (1) highly qualified and emotionally stable staff; (2) curriculum and instruction that…

Research suggests that the high school dropout rate can be reduced through improved educational programming, especially in vocational education. Several studies have found that when students with similar backgrounds are compared, those who participate in vocational education are more likely to graduate. To determine why students drop out, Weber…

Effective schools provide at-risk students with a community of support that encourages school membership and educational engagement. This study describes effective dropout prevention programs, develops a generalizable, theoretical framework for understanding the relationship between at-risk students and their schools, and suggests local and state…

Specific goals of this study of the national dropout problem are to: (1) define the problem; (2) identify demographic characteristics of dropouts; (3) describe economic and social consequences; (4) identify programs and practices that prevent students from dropping out; (5) identify federal and state initiatives; and (6) identify private sector…

This evaluation of the second-year (1986-87) implementation of the New York City (New York) Dropout Prevention Initiative (DPI) in 13 high schools focuses on student characteristics and outcomes, with a discussion of a set of statistical data on program services, findings on school-level indicators of program effectiveness, and an analysis of…

During the 1986-1987 school year, 80 educationally and economically disadvantaged students from three counties in Virginia were recruited into a program that was designed to support their education and encourage them to stay in school. Students participated in after-school workshops to improve their decision-making and interpersonal skills, and…

This publication introduces school personnel concerned with early intervention with potential school dropouts to a promising school-based interprofessional case management model that has been successfully field-tested in 25 very different elementary school communities of Idaho and Washington State over the past 7 years: C-STARS (Center for the…

This executive summary presents evaluation findings and conclusions from a 4-year study of a demonstration project focusing on a school-based and school-linked interprofessional case management approach to dropout prevention. The project, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, was administered by the Center for the Study and Teaching of…