Strategies for preventing or responding to truancy and dropping out of school are offered in this resource paper. The document's first few pages draw on statistics from around the United States to illustrate the magnitude of the problem in terms of both its scope and its consequences. The paper then turns to its major focus, strategies to increase…

This handbook is intended as a practical guide for adult basic education (ABE) directors, counselors, and faculty in an effort to increase ABE student retention. Following a literature review and description of the research problem, part I contains data obtained from the four major surveys administered during a project that investigated the causes…

This dropout prevention guide was designed to assist school districts in identifying potential dropouts and in developing and implementing programs that provide prevention, intervention, and remediation. The introductory section briefly reviews the purpose, design, and origin of this guide and recognizes national dropout concerns, the…

It's up to school board members to communicate they want schools to improve academic scores and standards while increasing their holding power. Outlines ways superintendents can act to reinforce such policy. (MD)

Although the national reports have not focused on the problem, effective schools must address the needs of potential school dropouts. The author rebuts some of the common arguments against dropout prevention programs, arguing that successful dropout prevention is one of the key indicators of overall school effectiveness. (Author/TE)

This practice-application digest addresses what vocational education can do to reduce the almost 30 percent dropout rate among U.S. students. The first section describes factors that place students at risk, focusing on factors included in the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction's definition of the term "at-risk." In the next…

This guide is intended to encourage South Carolina secondary vocational education administrators, teachers, and counselors to implement programs designed to keep potential dropouts in school and recover those who leave school prematurely, as well as to provide those educators with research findings relevant to such activities. Following an…

Describes educational models developed by Good Shepard Sisters for youths with records of school failure and chronic truancy. Highlights community schools for chronic truants; the CORA-Neumann program in Philadelphia; off-campus teenage residence groups; a highly structured school and camp program; and a day school for severely behaviorally…

Although Florida law requires job placement and follow-up services for all students graduating or leaving the school system, there is a lack of understanding about contributing causes and possible solutions to the problem of high school dropouts. To gather information to develop an innovative program to reach dropouts and potential dropouts, 282…

The Regional Review Meeting on the Situation of Education of Girls was attended by participants from eight Asian countries, six of which have low female participation and retention rates. Participants from Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, and Thailand presented reports based on the findings of national studies,…

This book provides a synthesis of wide-ranging research on student attrition at American colleges and universities and outlines actions that institutions can and should take to reduce attrition. The key to effective retention is shown to lie in a strong commitment to quality education and the building of a strong sense of inclusive educational and…

Our nation's youth dropout rate, while consistent for almost 20 years, has increasingly become a major educational and societal problem. This summary of a longer sourcebook provides an overview of various strategies and initiatives for groups, schools, businesses, and communities to consider in addressing their dropout problems, and describes a…

The Atlanta (Georgia) Public School System (APS) has many existing dropout prevention programs, but they have been operating primarily independently, with limited information sharing or coordination. In 1986 these programs were linked through the formation of the Atlanta Dropout Prevention Collaborative, which unites the public school system with…

This bibliography update contains information on dropout attitudes, prevention, programs, rates, and research, as well as school-holding power at the secondary and postsecondary levels. Citations include conference papers, program descriptions, research reports, and statistical materials. Materials for inclusion in this bibliography were located…

This booklet explains how service learning can be used to encourage out-of-school youth to return to an education program. The booklet begins with a discussion of the term "out-of-school youth" that includes the early warning signals indicating a potential for dropping out of school and circumstances and characteristics of potential…