Colorado's Second Chance Pilot Program allows dropouts to return to designated Second Chance centers to complete requirements for a high school diploma or equivalent certificate. The high degree of satisfaction of students at Second Chance centers, and the waiting lists for enrollment demonstrate the potential for recovering dropouts. (SLD)

This working paper considers ways to tackle the critical issue of early drop-out and under-achievement of children at school. It draws on evidence of the benefits of early childhood programmes to children's learning and success in school. It particularly examines how well-designed early childhood programmes can effectively address poverty and…

High school outcomes were assessed for 123 young adults, originally toddlers in the home-based, low-intensity Mother-Child Home Program (MCHP) and at risk for dropping out of high school because of their parents' low income and education. Participants were recruited for the Pittsfield, MA, replication of the MCHP and randomly selected into program…

A retrospective comparative analysis of data collected between 1975 and 1979 was undertaken at Westmoreland County Community College (WCCC) to quantitatively determine the impact of WCCC's developmental education program on: (1) the persistence and academic performance of underprepared students; (2) the college's financial situation; and (3) the…

In this paper the authors illustrate the use of a strict standard for evaluating evidence on programs and strategies designed to improve outcomes for high school students. They explain what they mean by solid evidence, and present examples from multi-site evaluations of three programs. After that they examine some of the evidence on high school…

Career academies are characterized by these three basic features: a school-within-a-school organizational structure, curricula that combine academic and career or technical courses based on a career theme, and partnerships with local employers. In a 10-year longitudinal study of the academy model, begun in 1993 in 9 schools around the country,…

This is the first interim report of the congressionally mandated National Study of Student Support Services (SSS), a federally funded grant program designed to help economically disadvantaged students achieve success at the postsecondary level. The program is intended to facilitate disadvantaged students' high school completion, entry into and…

On account of concern about declining achievement levels of high school graduates and proposed state legislation increasing graduation requirements to address this concern, this report analyzes current and proposed high school graduation requirements in Illinois, based on data compiled from local school documents, and compares the data to…

By 2025, 22 percent of the U.S. college-age population will be Latino, a level already reached in four states: California, Florida, New York, and Texas. Meeting the country's future human capital and workforce needs make it imperative to improve outcomes for Latino students today. As public attention is focused on current achievement gaps,…

California counties receiving funds from Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act (JJCPA) programs are required to report six outcome measures to the California State Legislature on an annual basis to measure the success of the program. These outcome measures are (1) successful completion of probation, (2) arrests, (3) probation violations, (4)…

The career magnet high school programs of the New York City (NYC) public school system were evaluated in an experimental study. The experimental design compared the ninth-grade performance of students randomly selected for magnet schools with those who "lost the lottery." It included 91 pools of students: 3,272 with average reading…

The consequences of not graduating from high school are increasingly serious for both individuals and society as a whole. As a result, policymakers and the federal requirements of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) have placed a new focus on increasing graduation rates and reducing dropout rates. While the dropout problem has generated research and new…

This book reveals why so many students are entering college unprepared for college level work and often unable to complete a degree. This important book presents the findings of the Bridge Project, a major national research study conducted by Stanford University and funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the U.S. Department of Education. The…

This report examines state policies and performance in the areas of enrollment and affordability. The authors' goal was to better understand the Utah's generally good performance in "Measuring Up 2004: The National Report Card on Higher Education." Utah's historically strong performance, especially in terms of providing affordable higher…

Recognizing the challenges rural districts face in providing broad curricular offerings and supplemental educational services to students, in 2007, the 80th Texas Legislature authorized the creation of a pilot program designed to provide technology-based supplemental educational services to rural school districts that show an overall academic need…