"Reconnecting Youth" is an elective, credit-bearing course for students at risk of dropping out of school due to frequent absenteeism, low grades, or a history of dropping out. The curriculum focuses on building self-esteem, decision making, personal control, and interpersonal communication skills. The What Works Clearninghouse (WWC)…

Mt Diablo High School began a six-phase dropout prevention program in 1986. It involves a summer transition program for freshmen, training for freshman teachers, ongoing follow up, reduction in class size, ninth grade performance review, and the creation of a ninth grade opportunity class for second semester freshmen students. (MD)

Low achievement and high dropout rates among poor and minority students continue to plague U.S. society. While much attention over the past quarter century has focused on reforming the schools these students attend, little or no progress has been made in actually closing the achievement gaps or reducing the number of dropouts. Why? Aren't…

Inner-city youth are at high risk for dropping out of high school. Within this article, risk factors associated with dropout and strategies for effective prevention and intervention are reviewed. An example of a school-based drop-out prevention program is highlighted. The FUTURES Program is a school-based drop-out prevention program designed to…

St. Louis schools are served by five major programs funded by Title I of the Elementary Secondary Education Act of 1965. The Reading Improvement Teams help those children whose reading deficit is the greatest. Each team is composed of a principal, a reading assistant, a remedial reading teacher, a reading aide, and 10 classroom teachers. The Rooms…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) "The Costs and Benefits of an Excellent Education": U.S. Could Net $45 Billion Annually if One Year's Worth…

This document includes summaries of the annual evaluations of the five major programs in St. Louis funded under Title I of the 1965 Elementary Secondary Education Act. The general purposes of the Reading Improvement Teams program were to improve the reading skills of the children with the greatest reading problems in the Title I schools and to…

The Production Workshop Project was designed to promote the educational rehabilitation of selected ninth-grade students. Programs in block-scheduled academic instruction were integrated with vocational training in a Production Workshop setting. The 1971-72 Project activities served a total of 243 students--117 boys and 126 girls. Approximately 68…

A recent study by Civic Enterprises for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation examined the views of diverse youth, ages 16-25, who had failed to complete high school. "The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives of High School Dropouts" lists students' reasons for leaving school and suggests actions that schools, states, and the federal government can take.…