The role school social workers play within schools, the training they receive, and whether they are present in junior high schools are all factors that pose barriers and opportunities for school social workers' involvement in dropout prevention efforts during the middle school years. Such efforts are necessary because the unique challenges of…

Describes a dropout prevention program used for eight years in Joliet Township, Illinois, high schools. (MD)

This book describes the lives and life conditions of some of the approximately 30 students who attended one Enterprise High School located in northwestern Macomb County (Michigan) designed to keep potential dropouts in school. All of the events described in the book actually happened although they did not actually happen to any one or two specific…

The primary objective of the Three-Year Nor Cal Attrition Study was to demonstrate that community colleges could overcome the "revolving door" problem and help potential dropouts. It was further realized that the rich descriptive data base that Nor Cal had collected could be of use to the entire academic community. Although grand totals…

A support service for students at Wayne State College is described that is coordinated by the learning center and supported by a network of referrals. The target groups are students who have been placed on academic suspension or probation, the chronically absent, and those who are having difficulty with basic writing, term paper writing, test…

Student attrition is a major problem for American colleges and universities because an increasing number of enrollees fit the demographic and socioeconomic profile of "high-risk" students, who consist in general of minorities, the academically disadvantaged, the disabled, and those of low socioeconomic status. Declining enrollments leave…

Suggests that music education by its nature is well suited to meeting the special needs of at-risk students. Discusses the role of music in motivating and enabling students to succeed. Defines the causes of failure as inability and lack of desire to learn when at-risk students receive the wrong kind of instruction. (DK)

The School-Community Guidance Center (SCGC) is an Austin, Texas alternative education program for high-risk students. It employs three project specialists to work with high-risk and delinquent students at two locations, Rice secondary school and a juvenile detention center. Most of the students are referred for disciplinary reasons. Students in…

This manual is designed for teachers and counselors to train high school students as peer counselors. Developed as part of a secondary guidance project designed to maintain enrollment of potential dropouts, this training manual focuses on basic peer counseling skills, such as active listening, effective message sending, self-awareness, helping…

This document analyzes the results of a follow-up study about specific factors that distinguish between students likely to drop out and those who stay in school and graduate. The dropout interview form, which was administered to dropouts in the original study, was revised and administered by counselors to 180 seniors who were in the lower four…

This report reviews the research literature from 1975-1983 on potential secondary school dropouts and strategies for effective dropout prevention programs. The information provided is intended to help communities in modifying and/or constructing treatment programs for potential dropouts. The report is divided into three sections. In the first…

A project was designed to identify student needs contributing to high vocational technical school dropout rates and to develop strategies for effective rate reduction. Project staff objectives were to (1) identify problems impeding potential dropouts from training success, (2) alleviate potential dropouts' critical needs, (3) implement meaningful…

The Urban Career Education Center (UCEC) is an alternative experimental high school for students classified as potential dropouts. It began operating in 1972 founded on the premise that the real goal of a worthwhile education should be the preparation of students for a productive and satisfying life in their chosen careers. The UCEC model includes…

The 1987-88 Home-School-Community Agents (HSCA) Project of the Columbus (Ohio) Public Schools met its goal of improving the attitudes of 50 percent of the disruptive students enrolled in the project toward teachers, education, and school behavior. Nineteen HSCAs served in 8 high schools and 11 middle schools. Each HSCA worked on an in-depth basis…