This practicum was conducted in a large high school for the purpose of improving grade point averages, attendance, and attitudes of student athletes at high risk with respect to eligibility to play sports. The program contained four basic components: (1) orientation; (2) implementation; (3) monitoring; and (4) evaluation. An orientation was…

Cognitively-based writing instruction for educationally disadvantaged students is examined, focusing on epistemic writing. The object of epistemic writing is to inquire into a particular topic and to familiarize/persuade the reader with the fruits of the investigation. In reviewing the distinctions between novice and expert writers, two models of…

This volume consists mainly of presentations made at a seminar held in 1981 in Bogota, Colombia, on the relation between preschool education and early childhood education. The seminar brought together educational researchers from many regions of the world as well as specialists in several different disciplines. Encompassing nine investigations…

Data from the 1988 Phi Delta Kappa National Research Study on at-risk students were used in an analysis of variables associated with being classified as "at risk." The study collected information on over 22,000 at-risk and not-at-risk students from 274 schools and 9,600 teachers from across the United States. This analysis identified…

This report evaluates the effectiveness of the Attendance Improvement Dropout Prevention (AIDP) program during the 1987-88 school year, which provided services to New York City (New York) middle school students at risk of becoming truant or dropping out of school. Chapter 1, "Introduction," contains the following sections: (1)…

The perceptions of teachers about students' lack of success were studied, and the groundwork was laid for the future study of the effectiveness of a policy of warning students and parents of impending failure. The primary sources of data were teacher-coded reasons for failure, given on notices (progress reports) to secondary school students in the…

Although evidence is accumulating that the major reading difficulty dyslexics experience involves decoding and recognizing printed words, it is not clear that all dyslexics read poorly for the same reasons. A study investigated dyslexic children between 7 and 14 years of age to see if their reading errors and patterns of performance would enable…

A supplemental reading intervention program was designed and implemented to increase the reading comprehension for at-risk students. Subjects, 11 fourth graders in two different classes, were chosen on the basis of below grade reading level as evidenced by both classroom performance and national achievement tests' score. The 10-week reading…

This module identifies the at-risk student and addresses strategies and effective programs for dealing with the at-risk population. The guide includes a list of definitions and uses a question-and-answer format to define at-risk students, discuss reasons for dropout, and provide information on early identification of risk, the effect of dropping…

To identify behavioral and attitudinal differences between students who became high school dropouts and students who remained in school, sophomores from Illinois who participated in the National High School and Beyond Study (N=1,950) were interviewed and tested. Their responses were weighted to represent the total sophomore enrollment for Illinois…

A study was conducted to obtain information on the transfer outcomes of Community College of Philadelphia (CCP) students who transferred to another Philadelphia-area college or university. The study sought information on the grade point average (GPA), credit hours taken, graduation status, and other measures of student persistence for 252 former…

Although ability partly explains why some students are eager to learn in school whereas others are disinterested, motivation is another significant factor. This newsletter discusses factors that affect students' motivation to learn, considers techniques that can increase motivation, and identifies schools that have developed activities to enhance…

This study was conducted to determine if there was a significant difference in the rate of success between initially matriculated and provisionally accepted students in the Master of Business Administration program at Dowling College (Oakdale, New York). Provisionally accepted students have met all admissions criteria except that they have scored…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 13 titles deal with the following topics: (1) maximum likelihood multivariate statistical analysis in human communication research; (2) sense, expression, and purpose in Alexander Campbell's natural philosophy of rhetoric; (3)…

Several factors associated with academic underachievement and high attrition of minority students are discussed, based on a review of the literature. A significant problem exists in undergraduate and graduate programs with respect to the lack of representation of minority students. The three factors identified as most critical are: (1) self-esteem…