Background: Education plays a pivotal role in empowering individuals with the knowledge and skills needed for careers, economic progress, and societal engagement. Dropping out of school before achieving a qualification undermines these opportunities and has an impact on individuals and society (Audit Commission, 2010; OECD, 2023). International…

When students drop out of high school there are substantial social and economic consequences that can persist throughout their lives. They are more likely to be unemployed, to become teenage parents, to become involved in the criminal justice system, and to suffer a lifetime of low wages. Dropout rates soared during the COVID-19 pandemic as…

"12 for Life" is an Investing in Innovation (i3) development grant funded by the Office of Innovation and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education. "12 for Life" provides a rigorous STEM curriculum, combined with on-the-job-training, work/life skills development, mentoring, and employment opportunities to high school students…

This study evaluates the Youth Development Program (YDP), a component of the federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA). We examine whether the YDP reduced dropout rates among youth in secondary schools in seven school districts in the impoverished Mississippi River Delta in southeast Arkansas. Initially, the program seems to have an impact. Students…

State Compensatory Education (SCE) is a supplemental program designed to eliminate disparities in (1) student performance on assessment instruments administered under chapter 39 of the Texas Education Code (1995, amended 2013); and (2) the rates of high school completion between students who are at risk of dropping out of school, as defined by…

The purpose of this historical case study was to gain an understanding of dropout recovery programs from an interpretive historical perspective. Dropout Recovery is an Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education initiative that provides high school dropouts an opportunity to re-enroll in school, gain academic credit, and participate in…

Too many students in high-poverty, urban communities drop out of high school, and too few graduate prepared for college and careers. Three national organizations--Talent Development Secondary, City Year, and Communities In Schools--have formed "Diplomas Now" in an effort to transform urban secondary schools so fewer students drop out and…

This technical brief describes updates to a database of dropout prevention programs and policies in 2006/07 created by the Regional Education Laboratory (REL) Northeast and Islands and described in the Issues & Answers report, "Piloting a searchable database of dropout prevention programs in nine low-income urban school districts in the…

Every 29 seconds, a U.S. student gives up on school. That's 124 students every hour; 2,979 every day; and more than 1 million every year. Most dropouts interviewed later in life stated they believe they could have succeeded in school if they had been given the right opportunity, and a special report in "Time" magazine reported "a full 88% of…

Approximately 28% of students with disabilities do not complete high school (National Longitudinal Transition Study-2, 2005). This increases the likelihood that these students will experience low wages, high rates of incarceration, and limited access to postsecondary education. This article reviews evidence-based secondary transition practices…

AN EXTENSION OF KNOWLEDGE OF THE FACTORS RELATED TO TRAINEE DROPOUTS IN MANPOWER DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING ACT (MDTA) PROGRAMS WAS ATTEMPTED. THE FACTORS RELATED TO SUCCESS OF MDTA PROGRAMS WERE COMPUTED FOR ORGANIZATIONAL AND PROCEDURAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TRAINEES. BOTH RETENTION AND PLACEMENT SHOW SIGNIFICANT CORRELATION WITH CHARACTERISTICS…

The PAISC program provides support to schools enabling them to successfully implement discipline and early intervention dropout prevention programs. Selected characteristics of 15 sites in which the PAISC program has been implemented are described. This report details the way in which staff divided its time between implementing the components that…

The data for this report on school dropouts in New York City were collected by means of in-depth interviews with high school staff members, students, and dropouts. A total of 229 persons were interviewed in 53 high schools with dropout prevention programs distributed throughout the city. All respondents were asked approximately 50 open-ended…

"YouthBuild" offers low-income youth both education and job training services. "YouthBuild's" education component emphasizes attaining a GED or high school diploma, typically in alternative schools with small class sizes and an emphasis on individualized instruction. In "YouthBuild's" job-training program,…

A study was conducted (1) to examine characteristics of programs in which students were enrolled, (2) to determine which activities were most effective in dealing with dropouts, and (3) to validate program components that have previously been associated with retentive capacity. Results are reported and discussed. (CT)