After four years of operation, the Title VIII program of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act has been instrumental in reducing the number of school dropouts in target schools by 52 percent. This report describes in detail some of the successful educational practices operating within target schools in Alabama, California, Colorado,…

This paper describes an academic support program, developed and implemented at a liberal arts college, that has had a significant effect upon the retention of "high risk" students. Germane to its success and discussed in detail is the "Educational Diagnosis." Only after the accurate identification of academic barriers can a…

The problem of student attrition at our colleges and universities has been a major concern of educators and parents alike for many years. This report has as the focal point the plight of the student-athlete in the dropout syndrome. A 5-page questionnaire designed to solicit information regarding selective screening procedures, detection of…

The Employability Development Team of the Cleveland Public Schools is a pilot program to meet the special needs of selected, dropout-prone students. An Occupational Adviser (counselor) and several paraprofessionals offer these students extensive counseling services, a work preparation course, and job placement. The general goal of the program is…

This search of 18 documents from the ERIC collection, Dissertation Abstracts, and the journal literature, reviews attempts by several school systems to provide medical, psychological and educational support for pregnant teenagers, in order to prevent their dropping out of school. (CJ)

The purpose of this study was to evaluate vocational education at the senior high school level in terms of both private and social costs and returns. Data on costs of vocational training and potential earnings with and without vocational training were used to estimate rates of returns on vocational education. Findings of the study indicate that…

To reduce dropout rates in shorthand classes, the author developed a new approach to teaching the subject by emphasizing phonetics in introducing the shorthand alphabet. She describes and pictures this approach. (MF)

A high school sophomore describes her experiences in a Washington, DC,work-study program sponsored by Marriott Corporation. She recounts how her peer mentor helped her through the program. (SO)

Describes a program to reduce the dropout rate for pregnant and parenting teens at York Vocational-Technical School (Pennsylvania) for the second semester of 1985-86. One successful feature was a "caring class" providing information about pregnancy, childcare, nutrition, and other subjects. The program retained most of its enrollees. Includes 1…

Supported by state aid, New York City schools developed a plan to reduce the dropout rate and improve attendance during 1984-85. The program focused on high-risk middle and high school students with severe attendance problems and featured attendance outreach, alternative educational programs, and guidance, counseling, health, and other services.…

Project Intervention is an innovative dropout prevention program developed by the Corpus Christi Schools (TX) to improve school attendance, decrease disruptive behavior, and improve academic achievement. Includes a discussion of dropout data analysis and a sidebar outlining the importance of citing the economic stakes when promoting the…

Describes a New Jersey counseling program for pregnant girls and teen mothers that uses the school nurse to help students face realities, consider options, and stay in school. The program is part of a large assistance effort involving the school psychologist, counselors, teachers, and an alcohol abuse specialist to provide help for all students…

Describes a program developed to help would-be dropouts at the junior and senior high school level. Two important components of the program are that staff work with no more than two students at a time and that staff members volunteer to take part in the program. (MD)

Describes Second Chance, a program initiated by the Milwaukee Area Technical College to encourage dropouts and potential dropouts between the ages of 16 and 18 to earn diplomas. (JOW)

Suggestions made to curb the dropout rate include these: hands-on experiences need to be provided, rigid standards need to be modified, positive self-images should be developed, modular or flexible scheduling and realistic educational media should be employed, and teachers must care for each student as an individual. (SC)