The second year report of this exemplary project describes the problems, objectives, and programs for the development of a comprehensive and sequentially planned effort for career education. Most of the document consists of the project evaluation and the appendixes of materials relating to the project. Evaluation outlined the need for more…

The main stated purpose of this project is to send 100 Family Assistants who are familiar with the community into the homes of senior high school students who show serious problems in school attendance, adjustment, and/or achievement. The project is designed to provide a link between home and school for 15,000 such potential dropouts by having the…

A project was designed to develop and test (phase I), and implement (phase II) a research design for the study of student attrition in the Wisconsin vocational technical adult education (VTAE) system with the intent of identifying student attrition and determining its predictability. Phase I, the developmental aspect (described in this report),…

Presents nine articles dealing with aspects of testing and the role of the school counselor. Topics include interpreting test scores, testing problems and solutions, developing tests to predict dropping out, sex bias in vocational testing, detecting bias in standardized tests, assessments of reentry adults, and interest tests for adults. (JAC)

Since the National Defense Education Act of 1958, a primary objective of federal higher education policy has been to increase access to higher education for those who would not otherwise attend, especially those from low income backgrounds. Increasing attention is now being paid to enhancing student retention and graduation, making sure that…

This newsletter includes three articles on the theme of leadership development, particularly in relation to high-risk students or Mexican American communities. "Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program: 'Because All Children Are Valuable'" (Linda Cantu) shares some success stories from the program, which recruits high-risk students to be tutors of…

Mexican American (MA) students remain at-risk for not completing high school. Since previous research has shown that parental involvement can positively influence MA students' academic achievement, the effects that parental involvement during students' eighth grade year has on students' school attendance in tenth grade are examined. Researchers…

The Ninth Grade Restructuring Program of the Detroit (Michigan) public schools was designed to restructure the ninth grade in ways that improve academic performance, develop positive attitudes toward learning, improve the school environment, reduce the dropout rate, and increase the graduation rate of students. Features of the program were…

The Ninth Grade Restructuring Program of the Detroit (Michigan) public schools was designed to restructure the ninth grade in ways that improve academic performance, develop positive attitudes toward learning, improve the school environment, reduce the dropout rate, and increase the graduation rate of students. Features of the program were…

Researchers report that fundamental reform is under way in perhaps one-third of Chicago public schools, involving more than 100,000 students. These sketches of schools where restructuring is taking place provide some clues to fundamental questions about educational change. The Chicago School Reform Act of 1988 established local school councils and…

The GEAR UP Austin: Impacting Lives program serves a cohort of approximately 3,369 seventh graders from 10 Austin Independent School District (AISD) middle schools and 28 seventh graders from the Texas Empowerment Academy charter school. More than half of these students come from low-income households, and many are considered at risk. This…

Keeping high school students in school and helping them gain competence and confidence in skills so that they can be successful in the world of work and/or college is an enormous challenge. The results of one study clearly demonstrated a direct correlation between one's self-esteem and academic competence. The more competent one feels, the better…

The greatest factor affecting retention of minority students is the degree of institutional commitment. Recruiters must be more creative; orientation programs must be relevant to minorities. Minority staff members must be visibly involved. Student participation in peer groups and academic commitment also aid retention. (JAC)

Investigates boundaries between normal and abnormal psychological profiles among adolescents, particularly on instruments widely used in psychology research and clinical/educational practice. Participants were 117 students from a large, urban city in an outgoing intervention program, with adolescents who were at risk of dropping out of school…

Investigates the informal curriculum of a state-funded after-school dropout prevention program for adolescents. The program's goal is to resocialize them into their schools and enable them to achieve academic success. The paper proposes that the program fails to achieve its goal because of its ideology, and it recommends an alternative perspective…