This issue brief provides information and guidance to state education agencies (SEAs) regarding their accountability for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA 2004) legislative mandates in the area of dropout prevention for students with disabilities. It also highlights the role of State Performance Plans as…

Initially, this study of the attrition of adult Maori students in a Tertiary Institute was undertaken to determine whether the factors in the literature explaining attrition/retention in tertiary institutions were relevant to Maori students and whether the literature covered all the factors. The main finding was that they mostly did apply.…

When asked to identify the greatest challenge he faces as the leader of the country's largest system of higher education, the author, a chancellor of California State University, states that the challenge is the urgent need to reach students from traditionally underserved populations--to prepare them and get them into college and then to make sure…

High school reform has now been on the national agenda long enough that people can begin reaching conclusions about the effectiveness of various approaches to it. This article discusses several strategies of high school reforms which includes: (1) improving school climate; (2) strengthening curriculum and instruction; (3) raising graduation…

Act 49 of 1987 requires the Secretary of Education to provide the General Assembly with an annual report on public school dropouts in Pennsylvania. The purpose of this report is to document the actual number of students who drop out each year and to provide various characteristics about these students. The type of data collected about each dropout…

The primary goal of a districtwide dropout-prevention program is to develop, implement, and enhance instructional and programmatic components that have proven effective in educational research and practice and thus resulted in fewer students dropping out of school prior to high school graduation. This paper describes the development and…

Project RETAIN (Retention in Education Technical Assistance and Information Network) is a Florida project that assists school districts through identification and dissemination of effective practices that keep students with mild disabilities in school. One part of the project was the development of a database of school district efforts in the area…

Improving retention in adult literacy programs is of great concern for both instructors and administrators. A learner-centered program is a must for improving retention. In such a program, a support system for learners should be readily accessible. Instruction should be based on students' goals, and program staff should be available to help…

The concept of systemic school change as a comprehensive approach to raising academic achievement and preventing school dropouts in Massachusetts is summarized in this report. Following a description of systemic school change, reasons for adopting a systemic change approach are offered. Nine princples of systemic school change are provided,…

This paper describes and encourages the application of 20 classroom techniques to enhance the retention and success of black male college students. Though retention enhancement programs work best when institution-wide support and commitment are behind them, the techniques described here can be implemented in the classroom with significant results…

This West Virginia community resource guide discusses the growing crisis of school dropouts, reviews some of the consequences of dropping out of school, and provides guidance for schools and communities who seek to initiate a dropout prevention program. After an introductory overview of the dropout problem; the human, health, and educational…

It is generally acknowledged that employment is essential to the successful rehabilitation of drug abusers, and several models have been effective in helping drug abuse clients find jobs. To compare two methods of providing employment services to drug abuse treatment clients, the Employment Specialist Study sampled 40 clients at each of 39 clinics…

This article describes the use of activity counseling with borderline dropout high school students. The activity counseling consisted of urban encounters followed by group sessions in which students exchanged stories, opinions and feelings. These students have demonstrated improvement in self-concept, credit earning, and productivity. (SJL)

Many developmental educators have been assigned increased responsibilities for campus-wide enrollment management activities. A new system is needed for educators to more accurately sort through the rapidly growing database of information related to student retention. This will enable the reader to more quickly identify promising practices for…

A description of a behavioral intervention using token rewards that facilitated talking with deviant adolescent boys about their feelings in group therapy and produced dramatic short-term improvement in school adjustment but ultimately failed because of lack of institutional support. Implications for behavioral treatment programs are discussed in…