This is the first interim report of the congressionally mandated National Study of Student Support Services (SSS), a federally funded grant program designed to help economically disadvantaged students achieve success at the postsecondary level. The program is intended to facilitate disadvantaged students' high school completion, entry into and…

The National Alliance of Business (NAB) surveyed the 12 sites that participated in the Compact Project to develop and implement programs of business-education collaboration. NAB studied start-up activities, key players, conditions for collaboration, accomplishments, challenges, and future plans. Program outcomes indicated that building successful…

The Institute for Native American Development (INAD) was created at Truman College to provide quality higher education with a variety of educational choices to Native Americans in Chicago. The program has three major components: advising/placement, academic skill development/cultural awareness, and financial aid/job placement. Native Americans…

The analysis of proposed or implemented programs for increasing the achievement of at-risk students in all grades is the purpose of this report. Its focus is on identifying effective organizational responses, programs, and practices that improve the achievement of all at-risk children. Schools currently respond to poor academic performance with…

This paper summarizes issues and perspectives that form the basis of current educational debate. The paper contends that early in the 21st century, Hispanics and other minorities will constitute the majority of the work force in major markets across the nation. The lack of preparedness of over half the potential pool of minority workers will have…

This document provides information on the Jones Center Vocational/Academic Program of the Granite School District (Utah), the purpose of which is to maintain or reintegrate students who are potential high school dropouts or dropouts into appropriate educational alternatives. Its mission statement is followed by a list of program components,…

This summary of a forum for migrant educators defines dropout issues, explores solutions and models of service, and offers recommendations to address the needs of out-of-school migrant youth. Notes from forum workshops and summary task force reports deal with dropout identification/needs assessment, dropout/enrollment/graduation data, interagency…

This report describes a "third wave" of educational reform that focuses on improving academic achievement and preventing dropping out among disadvantaged children. It contains eight sections. The Executive Summary surveys the dimensions of the at-risk situation and strategies to confront it. "The Scope of the Problem" provides background on the…

The unique needs of the educationally disadvantaged cannot be effectively addressed by educational reforms of a general nature. Approximately 30 percent of all elementary and secondary students in 1982 were economically, linguistically, and/or culturally disadvantaged. Their number and their degree of disadvantage has been increasing rapidly due…

This paper discusses the potential of school district-based and community-wide approaches to dropout prevention, and provides a summary of the goals and expected outcomes of the Consortium on Dropout Prevention, and the Urban Dropout Prevention Collaboratives Program. The Consortium on Dropout Prevention was formed to cooperatively gather and…

The number of single-parent families has increased dramatically. These families are subject to extreme economic problems and thus are in special need of career development and vocational preparation. Displaced homemakers are at a disadvantage inasmuch as they must reenter the work force; moreover, they face the additional career development…

Drawing from a review of the literature on issues related to student retention and attrition, and research on student attitudes toward the Community College of Denver (CCD), this report suggests four models for student retention programs for different two-year college student groups. Following introductory material on the project, a literature…

An evaluation of the Nuclear Skill Related Training Program at Memphis State University was conducted to identify possible motivational and attitudinal variables that may contribute to the retention-attrition rates of Job Corps students (40 percent) admitted to the program compared to non-Job Corps students who are migrant workers (2 percent). The…

Student attrition rates and retention efforts in the California State University and Colleges (CSUC) are summarized to assist policymakers and planners. Extensive supplementary materials are also provided, including four questionnaires, campus statistics, and worksheets for predicting withdrawal. Summaries for the 19 campuses of CSUC provide an…

The Career Exploration Program was a 10-week outreach summer program for high-risk youth aged 16 to 21, operated for three years beginning in 1979 by the Opportunities Industrialization Centers of America (OIC/A) and funded by the United States Department of Labor. The structured demonstration program focused specifically on high school dropouts,…