This casebook has been compiled in response to the expressed need of administrators, counselors, and teachers of occupational education in New York State to share knowledge about programs and initiatives that are successful in helping at-risk students remain in school and graduate with sound occupational skills. Each initiative described in this…

In the spring of 1979 and again in 1984, middle school and high school students who were participants in the Title I/Chapter 1 secondary school reading program in the Albuquerque Public Schools (NM), their parents, and regular classroom teachers completed questionnaires which helped provide information on their perceptions of the effectiveness of…

This Dropout Prevention Plan was designed for the Duval County Public Schools in Jacksonville, Florida. It provides for the identification of potential dropouts and various interventions to help reduce the dropout rate. Students who have been unsuccessful in the regular educational programs are targeted. Other goals are to develop the skills of…

Research suggests that the high school dropout rate can be reduced through improved educational programming, especially in vocational education. Several studies have found that when students with similar backgrounds are compared, those who participate in vocational education are more likely to graduate. To determine why students drop out, Weber…

A study sought to determine the rate of retention of adult students in the University of Minnesota College Program for Individualized Learning (PIL) for the 1983-84 academic year, as well as factors that might relate to this retention rate. A review was made of the 67 applications submitted by students admitted to PIL during that year to determine…

This booklet for mentors is part of a series of program materials for a school-based intervention process to help at-risk students stay in school. An introduction discusses the role of the mentor and the skills a mentor will need to promote the student's self-development. These skills are listening actively, problem solving, developing motivation,…

The purpose of this study was to find out why a significant percentage of students drop out of the Nigerian school system every year. While statistics for dropouts in developed countries are based on those who fail to continue with their secondary education, dropouts in developing nations like Nigeria are counted as the number that dropped out of…

This study was conducted to explore the economic and programmatic implications of school-year program attrition in secondary vocational programs in New Hampshire. The study included students who switched to other vocational programs as well as those who switched to a general academic or a college preparatory curriculum. Interviews were conducted,…

This study investigates factors contributing to dropping out and returning to school among urban high school students. The analysis is a preliminary attempt to determine whether state or local responses are more viable in preventing high-risk students from leaving school early, and the extent to which school practices and policies may influence…

This paper reviews the literature related to the role of career and vocational education in retaining at-risk secondary youth and motivating them to return to secondary or postsecondary school. Selected literature from nonvocational but related areas of service is reviewed to provide the reader with an overview of the scope of the problem and the…

Ferris State University's (FSU's) Collegiate Skills Program assists academically underprepared students in their transition to college. The program was initiatied in fall 1985 in response to increasing numbers of entering freshmen with inadequate reading and writing skills and subsequent high rates of attrition. Focusing initially on students with…

In 1987, the New York City Board of Education established the following three placement units responsible for improving school attendance and preventing dropping out among at-risk youth: (1) the Central Placement Unit (CPU); (2) the Persons In Need of Supervision (PINS) Diversion Unit; and (3) the Bronx District Attorney's Educational Outreach…

The number of dropouts is increasing and is particularly high in urban areas and among minority students. Dropouts earn less over their lifetimes, are in poorer health, and do not have the technological skills needed for newly-developing jobs. The federal government, the private sector, and educators have made serious commitments to bring down the…

Previous research has suggested that extrinsic rewards operate to decrease intrinsic motivation to perform a task when they are offered for an initially intrinsically motivating task and then removed. To determine the initial intrinsic motivation of studying, 170 Canadian community college students were divided into one control and four treatment…

Project LOUVERTURE is a bilingual education program offering instructional and non-instructional services to Haitian high school students of limited English proficiency who have been identified as potential dropouts. Instruction includes English as a second language, native language skills, basic skills, content area subjects, and cultural…