Policy makers are especially concerned about persistently high dropout rates among U.S. Latinos, the largest minority population in the United States. This study used a national longitudinal database to show that the behavioral and social aspects of schooling are dynamically linked in the process of school completion and dropout among Mexican…

An unacceptable number of students appear to be at great risk of not attaining the education levels essential to become successful, contributing members of society. An array of agencies at community levels receive funding from various levels of governments to provide support services to address the various elements of risk. Yet the problem of…

Dropping out of school is a universal problem, concerning fairly similar target groups in all countries. Several action plans to prevent dropping out and to activate the dropouts have been developed worldwide. The object of this study, the Activity School of East Finland, is an exceptionally comprehensive entity, within which alternative…

What can parents do to make sure their children with disabilities stay in school and graduate? Be involved. Research shows that one of the most essential strategies for promoting school completion and achievement is family involvement. When families remain involved in their children's middle and high school education, students are more likely to…

"ALAS," an acronym for "Achievement for Latinos through Academic Success" that means "wings" in Spanish, is a middle school (or junior high school) intervention designed to address student, school, family, and community factors that affect dropping out. Each student is assigned a counselor who monitors attendance,…

Studies indicate investments in social programs that raise a poor working mother's income may be especially beneficial to her children when they are of preschool age. Other studies show that high-quality preschool education interventions can have long-term beneficial impacts on school dropout, lifetime earnings and incarceration rates for…

The National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities (NDPC-SD) was assigned the task of summarizing Indicator 1--Graduation--for the analysis of the 2005-2010 State Performance Plans (SPP), which were submitted to the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) in December of 2005. The text of the indicator is as follows: Percent…

A study examined the impact of the National Foundation for the Improvement of Education (NFIE) Dropout Prevention Program on teachers and the implications of the program for professional development. Kindergarten through high-school classroom teachers designed their own projects, applied for grants, controlled project budgets, directed…

As part of its dropout prevention efforts, the state of Florida offers currently enrolled high school students the opportunity to earn a General Educational Development (GED) certificate. This new graduation option for at-risk students makes frequent use of computer-assisted instruction, operates a counseling component, integrates vocational…

This report presents data on the status of state legislation in many areas of education. Data were collected from legislators, legislative staff, state newsletters, "StateNet," school board/teacher associations, and various media. Not all of the listed legislation was enacted. Legislation pertaining to the following topics was included:…

The Durham Public Schools Communities in Schools (CIS) Academy provides a student-centered environment that encourages high-risk students to remain in school and get back on track for graduation. Program operations began in January 1995. This paper presents the results of an evaluation of the first semester of operations (the second semester of…

This study examined the impact of variables related to competence and identity as protective factors in a group of at-risk dropouts and at-risk graduates of high school. Participants consisted of 99 at-risk students (35 females and 64 males) drawn from a continuation high school in an urban school district and 24 high school students (9 female and…

This paper addresses educational reform as it affects dropouts, minorities, diverse cultures, training programs, and community-based education. Effective dropout-prevention models are presented that address the needs of at-risk populations. The author states that much dropout prevention and reclamation takes place off of school district campuses…

This report describes the development of a project designed to enable high risk high school students to acquire the skills necessary to create computer art. The project was based on a perceived need for the development of a curriculum in computer graphics that would motivate high risk students to acquire skills that could lead to a long term…

The purpose of this evaluation is to provide formative Information about selected Orange County Public Schools (CPS) dropout prevention and retrieval programs. The following seven alternative learning programs were evaluated: School-Within-a-School; Alternative Resource Elementary Classrooms; The Challenge Center; The Plaza Center; BETA and ACEPT…