Describes several general dropout prevention strategies, presents information on career education and its phases (career awareness, career orientation, career exploration, and career preparation), and discusses the importance of career education for children with disabilities. How career education can be integrated into the curriculum is also…

Examined differences between academically talented female high school students who were not at risk (n=24) , and similar resilient at-risk students (n=17) on individual and environmental risk and protective factors. Hypotheses that the two groups would differ on risk factors, but not protective factors, were generally supported, suggesting a…

Using a Delphi approach, 10 experts identified 186 practices from the fields of transition and dropout prevention that would be effective with high-risk students, including those with mild disabilities. Rating these practices indicates that many prevention practices are important and feasible to implement. (SLD)

Describes a new instrument to predict dropouts, the Student At-Risk Identification Scale (SARIS). The SARIS consists of two subscales, one from student records and one that is a self-report. Scale construction is described, and narrative data are presented, along with evidence of reliability and validity. Predictive and diagnostic values of the…

Discusses research on successful support programs for potential dropouts. Describes a Detroit high school's Ninth Grade Project 96 program, an intervention strategy for high-risk, low-achieving students. The program used a modified block schedule; attendance, academic, and monitoring interventions; incentives and rewards; and team teachers.…

This sequential, three-phase study used quantitative analyses to examine the characteristics of student dropouts and the characteristics of schools successful and unsuccessful in mediating dropouts. Narrative profiles were created to describe types of students and types of dropouts. Phase I consisted of three parts, each using the student as the…

The concept of school engagement has attracted increasing attention as representing a possible antidote to declining academic motivation and achievement. Engagement is presumed to be malleable, responsive to contextual features, and amenable to environmental change. Researchers describe behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement and recommend…

"YouthBuild" offers low-income youth both education and job training services. "YouthBuild's" education component emphasizes attaining a GED or high school diploma, typically in alternative schools with small class sizes and an emphasis on individualized instruction. In "YouthBuild's" job-training program,…

As governors confront the worst state fiscal environment in the past 25 years, long-term prospects for strong economic growth are hampered by an immense underlying problem: the high school dropout crisis. At least one student in five drops out of school, and nearly 5 million 18- to 24-year-olds lack a high school diploma. Annually, dropouts cost…

From the 3rd grade to the 11th grade, Jorge Martinez walked out of his front door each day hating the prospect of going to school. For most of those days, Martinez, now 17, was a target of bullies. But that was only half of it. There was discord at home. He says he was lazy and unmotivated, preferring to spend his time in front of the television,…

Connecting Activities was launched more than ten years ago to expose students to the world of work and help them see the relationship between what they are learning in school and their career aspirations. By linking education to worksite learning experiences, Connecting Activities provides a real-world context for teaching a more relevant…

Check & Connect was created in a five year period from 1990 to 1995. The original manual, entitled "Keeping Kids in School: Using Check & Connect for Dropout Prevention" and written by David Evelo, Mary Sinclair, Christine Hurley, Sandra Christenson, and Martha Thurlow, was published in 1996 (ED398701). This newly revised Check…

When the Commission on Access, Admissions and Success in Higher Education (subsequently referred to as the commission) convened in fall 2008, the educational landscape was facing a number of issues that the commission's members recognized as formidable challenges to those students who aspire to enroll and succeed in college. Summarizing the…

Attrition of doctoral students at the rate of 50-60% of those who enter the program, suggests the need to examine alternative strategies within educational institutions in working with doctoral students. The purpose of this paper is to suggest how incorporating Internet technology might be one alternative in reducing attrition in doctoral…

"Twelve Together" is a one-year peer support and mentoring program for middle and early high school students that offers weekly after-school discussion groups led by trained volunteer adult facilitators. Each peer discussion group consists of about 12 participants, who are a mix of students at high risk of academic failure and others at…