Vocational education is one of the strategies most frequently cited as a dropout prevention measure, and some schools can document such program outcomes as increased student attendance, retention, and graduation rates. Disadvantaged youth who take vocational courses are less likely to be unemployed and more likely to obtain better-paying jobs.…

Because at-risk students may feel alienated from school, educational reforms may be useful that make school a more supportive place. While many students identified as "at-risk" may drop out of high school, many others could be better described as "pushouts." These students may desire to stay in school and graduate, but feel pressure to leave.…

Since 1980, at least 8 states and more than 200 localities have developed programs that deliver a variety of health, social, and education services at or near schools. Many of the students served by these programs are at risk of failing in school or dropping out. These comprehensive school-linked programs are attempting to improve the educational…

With the passage of the Early Child Development and Academic Act of 1993, 21 former Target 2000 Dropout Prevention and Retrieval pilot projects were reorganized as technical assistance sites. This publication is a compilation of descriptions of the programs at the technical assistance sites, areas in which technical assistance is available, and…

A study examined the kinds of skills that minority students felt prepared them for college and helped them to succeed. All 80 minority students enrolled at Illinois' Millikin University (enrollment, 1,800 students) were interviewed for 20 to 30 minutes each. Results indicated that: (1) students reported that English composition/writing classes,…

On September 30, 1991, the House Select Committee on Children, Youth, and Families convened to celebrate National Children's Day and hear the testimony of youth ambassadors, teachers, and congressional representatives. This record of the congressional hearing includes the spoken and prepared statements of Representatives Patricia Schroeder, Joseph…

A project identified as potential dropouts 53 Springfield (Ohio) South High School freshmen and 24 London (Ohio) High School juniors and seniors who demonstrated irregular attendance patterns and poor grade achievement. The 53 freshmen and 15 London High School students were enrolled in a career club, an intervention program to address their…

Texas ranks among the top 10 states for school dropouts with an annual dropout rate of about 30%. Some dropout prevention programs are incorporating community service components as a means to counter the alienation and low self-esteem frequently seen among dropouts and at-risk students. Significant adults other than school personnel provide youth…

This report presents major drop-out prevention events in the Austin (Texas) Independent School District (AISD) since these efforts were initiated in 1982 by the Office of Research and Evaluation (ORE). The following are the major findings of the report: (1) the ORE has been researching and studying the dropout problem since 1982-83, and the effort…

Although each of the 11 programs evaluated in this report during the 1989-90 school year had its own unique design and objectives, their common goal was to increase the likelihood that at-risk students in Cleveland (Ohio) schools would complete their high school education. Programs were evaluated in terms of changes from the previous year in the…

This paper describes a study of at-risk secondary school students and the outcomes of the school-based interventions they were involved with. Information was gathered from 28 Black, Hispanic, and White students through field notes and audio recordings. The students came from homes with a low-average educational attainment and themselves had…

Eight alternative educational programs that are part of the Portland, Oregon, Public School District are reviewed in this report. Responses from principals and program coordinators at each school to a comprehensive questionnaire provide information concerning staffing, student characteristics, facilities, course offerings, expenditure per student,…

These symposium papers describe the Fresh Start Minischool, a high school dropout prevention program in Washington, DC. The first paper, by Marcia McBeath, describes the program participants and the quantitative results of a 3-year study of the program. Data are presented on selection procedures, yearly group compositions, measures of self-esteem,…

Author argued that New York City's school dropout rate could be reduced greatly if students received the support services and suitable education to which they are entitled by law. (Editor/RK)

Operation Success is an innovative approach to dealing with potential dropout/high-risk students. The program operates out of the Center for Arts and Technology-Pickering Campus in Northern Chester County, Pennsylvania. The campus offers the students a full-day program, half academic, half vocational. The building of self-esteem and…