This document presents a study of the effectiveness of the Job Training Partnership Act program Project STAY, designed to impact the dropout problem in Stockton, California area high schools. A literature review discusses dropout characteristics, schools that dropouts leave, employment opportunities for the general population and for dropouts,…

As part of an effort to reduce the dropout rate in New York City public schools, a new project called Replicating Exemplary Holding Power Programs was created in June, 1983. Five schools participated as "demonstrators" because they were judged to have noteworthy holding power programs. Five additional "buddy" schools were…

Analyzed the effectiveness of a high school program designed to address student deficiencies in English skills while helping students develop an attachment to school within a traditional academic setting. Data analysis indicated that, as a group, students enrolled in the at-risk skills program improved their language and reading skills and…

Many school district leaders, high school administrators, and teachers--particularly those in urban areas--have struggled to reduce high school dropout rates but find themselves overwhelmed by the dimensions of the problem. Consider: Research has shown that lack of preparation in elementary and middle school, long before students reach high…

Since 1999, the Alberta Initiative for School Improvement (AISI) has provided funding to provincial school authorities for projects designed to improve student learning and performance. Conducted in three-year cycles, this unique approach has successfully helped to initiate approximately 1,600 grassroots projects led by school districts, teachers,…

We study a set of programs implemented in Philadelphia high schools that focus on boosting high school graduation, and especially college attendance, using data from the Philadelphia Educational Longitudinal Study (PELS). We examine the effects of these programs on a set of schooling-related outcomes during and after high school. The PELS data-set…

Eleven studies on effective dropout prevention programs are excerpted in this paper. The studies were published from 1981-1989 and include conference papers, journal articles, school district reports, and evaluations. The studies are analyzed to determine who are the students who have dropped out of school and which dropout prevention programs…

Support services for parenting teenagers which allow and encourage them to finish their education are a very real need that is only recently receiving greater attention. It is estimated that two thirds of all teenage mothers drop out of school. When these mothers do not receive the necessary basic skills to get a good job, many of these families…

The Chapter 2 Formula provides federal funds to states through the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). These funds are used to help students at risk of academic failure or dropping out, support purchases and programs, and develop teachers' professional skills. In 1992-93, the Austin Independent School District (AISD) received…

College dropout rate as a function of poor fit between institution and students has been studied extensively, but how this phenomenon operates for disadvantaged students is not adequately understood. This study examines the effects of a project that attempts to use peer relationships--tutoring and mentoring--to improve academic performance and…

The Freshman Advising Program at Illinois Benedictine College is described. The program was developed to improve the quality of academic advising and to lower the student attrition rate. (MLW)

A dropout prevention program is described which incorporates direct involvement of parents in training; an advisory committee made up of employers, parents, students, and staff; and a subcontract which allowed continuation of the program throughout the summer. The effectiveness of the program is discussed. (CT)

Describes a program that reaches out to displaced homemakers and gives them the support they need to enter nontraditional training and jobs. Discusses program content, funding, and enrollment; an introductory displaced homemaker class; recruitment methods; career exploration; support services; dropout prevention methods; job placement; and…

Wake Summerbridge is an enrichment program that has supported selected Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) (North Carolina) middle school students for a number of years. This evaluation compared subsequent academic performance, suspensions, and dropout rates of students who had participated in the program with a comparison group of students…

The Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) has provided an alternative school program for students with long-term suspensions since the 1995-96 school year. Since 1996-97, the WCPSS has contracted with a private firm to operate the Richard M. Milburn High School (RMHS), as an alternative learning center. This Executive Summary highlights the…