Examines the role of anxiety in predicting student attrition in college-level foreign language courses. Reports that students who dropped out of their foreign language classes were significantly more likely to report higher levels of input, processing, and output anxiety. Provides recommendations for instructors. (Contains 28 references.) (CAK)

"High School Redirection" is an alternative high school program for youth considered at risk of dropping out. The program emphasizes basic skills development (with a particular focus on reading skills) and offers limited extra-curricular activities. The schools operate in economically disadvantaged areas and serve students who have…

More than half of all Denver Public Schools (DPS) students who start in the ninth grade do not graduate within four years. If DPS is to significantly impact this graduation crisis, it must prioritize the implementation of systemic and research-based strategies around prevention, recuperation, and recovery of off-track students. With a 100 percent…

Many school district leaders, high school administrators, and teachers--particularly those in urban areas--have struggled to reduce high school dropout rates but find themselves overwhelmed by the dimensions of the problem. Consider: Research has shown that lack of preparation in elementary and middle school, long before students reach high…

Since 1999, the Alberta Initiative for School Improvement (AISI) has provided funding to provincial school authorities for projects designed to improve student learning and performance. Conducted in three-year cycles, this unique approach has successfully helped to initiate approximately 1,600 grassroots projects led by school districts, teachers,…

John Tyler and Magnus Lofstrom take a close look at the problems posed when students do not complete high school. The authors begin by discussing the ongoing, sometimes heated, debate over how prevalent the dropout problem is. They note that one important reason for discrepancies in reported dropout rates is whether holders of the General…

The relationship between transition planning/coordinating interventions and transition outcomes for secondary-aged youth with disabilities was explored in this systematic review. A total of 31 studies intervening with 859 youth with a wide variety of disabilities were reviewed. Using the transition intervention framework of Kohler and Field (2003)…

In 1992-93 the United Way was managing the participation of community-based organizations in the New York City Board of Education's dropout prevention effort. The Teachers College of Columbia University was asked to undertake an evaluation of this program, the Community Achievement Project in the Schools (CAPS). A follow-up to the original…

This paper is about assisting teachers to identify and help to change and retain deviant students. The major focus is on the instruction and training of teachers on how alcohol and drugs affect a person's body and behavior, and the effective methods for helping to change that behavior. In order to accomplish this objective, the paper is divided…

Service learning has been found to be a potentially powerful dropout prevention tool. Service learning combines community service with learning activities. Participating students must be engaged in significant, well-planned, and genuine service. Second, they must reflect on their experiences of serving others to ensure a complete learning…

The purpose of this guide is to help practitioners learn about the at-risk student and dropout problem, and to suggest strategies which increase the chances that those who are at risk of dropping out of school will complete formal education programs. The guide begins with a brief discussion of the extent of the problem and of the social and…

Findings from a study of administrators' perceptions of student dropout causes and possible interventions are presented in this paper. Current dropout literature was categorized into four sources of student withdrawal from school--schools, parents, peers, and students. A national survey of 650 secondary principals and 650 superintendents produced…

This position paper was written to answer a series of basic questions frequently asked about attrition and retention at Empire State College (ESC), New York. The questions addressed in the report are: (1) What is the attrition rate at ESC? (2) How does ESC's attrition rate compare to other colleges? (3) Who are the leavers? (4) When does attrition…

Students leave school for many reasons. Pregnancy, family circumstances, economic necessities, substance abuse, lack of academic success, or disciplinary actions can influence a young person's decision to quit school. There is no single solution to the dropout crisis. Just as there are a variety of causes behind a student's decision to drop out of…

This report on California dropouts draws on a large body of current research and features the correlates known to be associated with dropouts. It also details what is known and not known about the magnitude of the dropout phenomenon. Section I provides an introduction to the report. Section II presents a description of the reasons that students…