The costly supplemental or alternative programs that combat chronic school failure and continued high dropout rates are not always effective for the following reasons: (1) students do not always find out which programs are available, and (2) if no suitable program is available, there is usually no one responsible for trying to create one. People…

CONTACT is an alternative school program for dropout students who return, and for students who do not benefit from a regular secondary school program. Presented are a history of CONTACT school, a study design, a description of how student needs are identified, and a section on the evaluation instruments. Study results attempt to answer questions…

The mid-year evaluation of the Bostrom Alternative Center for Education (BACE) during its third year of operation (1978-79) reviewed student characteristics, student termination, and results of student, parent and staff surveys. Students (N=334) attended Bostrom Center during the first semester. The academic program had the largest student…

Cleveland's Comprehensive School-Age Parenting Program focuses on the following: (1) providing preventive health education to give middle school students a sense of identity and self-awareness; (2) preventing the mother from dropping out; and (3) helping the father cope with the situation and remain in school. (PS)

Migrant and seasonal farmworkers are the most educationally disadvantaged group in society, with over 70% high school dropouts and 15% functionally illiterate. Mobility, language barriers, and cultural differences combined with health and nutrition problems have a negative effect on school achievement. The constant interruption of the educational…

This resource guide provides information on programs that serve at risk students in the Dade County (Florida) Public Schools. For each program the following information is provided: (1) description; (2) number of schools served; (3) number of students served; and (4) budget. The following types of programs are included: (1) dropout retrieval; (2)…

The document seeks to identify the issues, programs, and resources most relevant to Youth Development Programs (YDPs) engaged in education programs. YDPs, under the direction of the Office of Economic Opportunity, are designed to help disadvantaged youth while involving them in establishing and operating youth councils and various program…

Discusses alternative programs and schools visited by the Hispanic Dropout Project. Notes a pervasive "disconnect" between alternative programs and "regular" schools, and outlines lessons alternative programs have to offer traditional schools. (SR)

Implementation and impact findings from a large evaluation of federally funded dropout prevention programs suggest that alternative middle schools for younger students and GED programs for older students are promising. Striving to understand the nature of academic, social, and personal problems affecting students and tailoring services to address…

Recent statistics indicate an increase in the rate of teen pregnancy and parenthood, which in turn indicates a need for increasing services at school sites. The younger the teen is at the time of the first pregnancy, the greater the likelihood that she will drop out of high school due to the barriers of child care, family dysfunctions, and lack of…

This report provides descriptions of strategies for dropout prevention at the secondary level and presents examples of programs that successfully utilize these strategies. The information is based on data from a review of nearly 200 programs at secondary schools across the four-state Western region that includes Arizona, California, Nevada, and…

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 study examined whether a change in school site affected the school attendance of 13 male Chicano gang members, 13 to 18 years of age, admitted to a community-based delinquency and gang violence prevention project. Since an active Alternative Studies Program, designed for students with special learning problems or for working students, already…

The coupling behavior of school systems was examined in this study of how school districts attempt to control and supervise alternative programs. Four alternative high schools for actual and potential dropouts, run by community-based organizations but dependent on local education agencies (LEAs) for student referral and program accreditation, were…

Harlem Preparatory School is an independent, nongraded, alternative school for young men and women who have either left high school before receiving a diploma, who wish to receive an academic diploma rather than a general or vocational diploma, or who wish to "recondition" their learning skills so that they may be better prepared to…