The "National Dropout Prevention Newsletter" is published quarterly by the National Dropout Prevention Center/Network. This issue contains the following articles: (1) Policy Matters; (2) A Conversation With A State Policymaker (Stephen Canessa); (3) Policy Matters at the School Level (Steven W. Edwards); (4) EEDA: Promise or Peril? (Sam…

We study a set of programs implemented in Philadelphia high schools that focus on boosting high school graduation, and especially college attendance, using data from the Philadelphia Educational Longitudinal Study (PELS). We examine the effects of these programs on a set of schooling-related outcomes during and after high school. The PELS data-set…

The high school completion rate for the U.S. has increased only slightly over the last quarter of a century. A promising area of focus for dropout prevention efforts may be found in research that assesses how messages about educational attainment may affect school completion rates. The supportive communication framework is used to address how…

Eleven studies on effective dropout prevention programs are excerpted in this paper. The studies were published from 1981-1989 and include conference papers, journal articles, school district reports, and evaluations. The studies are analyzed to determine who are the students who have dropped out of school and which dropout prevention programs…

This manual, developed in an effort to take the mysticism out of program evaluation, discusses six phases of the program evaluation process. The introduction discusses reasons for evaluation, process and outcome evaluation, the purpose of the handbook, the evaluation process, and the Sequoia United School District Dropout Prevention Program. Phase…

Support services for parenting teenagers which allow and encourage them to finish their education are a very real need that is only recently receiving greater attention. It is estimated that two thirds of all teenage mothers drop out of school. When these mothers do not receive the necessary basic skills to get a good job, many of these families…

This booklet is an instruction manual for those using the FOCUS database, an information source on dropout prevention of the National Dropout Prevention Center. An introduction lists the FOCUS files, which include Program Profiles, Calendar of Events, Resource Materials Library, Organizations, and Consultants and Speakers. Also given is the…

The Chapter 2 Formula provides federal funds to states through the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). These funds are used to help students at risk of academic failure or dropping out, support purchases and programs, and develop teachers' professional skills. In 1992-93, the Austin Independent School District (AISD) received…

In 1988 West Virginia University established a task force to evaluate possible strategies for a statewide dropout prevention program. An emerging focus of the task force is the creation of similar task forces at the local level that would make dropout prevention a community responsibility and build community partnerships to provide a comprehensive…

This paper based on one dropout prevention specialist's experience in working with at-risk students, discusses the need for comprehensive and collaborative efforts to meet the special problems of these children. Various national and state statistics underscore the growing cost to society for the failure to fully educate those students who are at…

A summary of research on effective school characteristics as they relate to dropout prevention and recovery is presented in order to inform practitioners of the literature in this area. The summary takes the form of discussions of the following research findings: (1) there are important similarities between effective schools and successful dropout…

A description of the focus and objectives of Project B.E.A.M. ("Behavioral Evolvement Through Achievement Management"), which utilized a combination of structured academic success through intensive tutoring and weekly counseling or "rap" sessions, using inexperienced college students from the same racial group as the children taught. Dramatic…

Despite many responses to the dropout problem, it remains unclear which school strategies are successful with at-risk students. State initiatives are well intentioned, but have certain limitations. Criteria such as local accountability, school-by-school regeneration and reform, longitudinal strategies, and horizontal coordination are needed. This…

This report compares dropout prevention programs in six cities. Questionnaires were completed by program coordinators, staff members, and students in order to determine what might make such a program succeed. The report includes a review of the literature, a description of methods employed in research, and summaries of survey responses in…