A proposed strategy for colleges and universities to increase the academic persistence of minority group students begins with faculty renewal efforts that encourage faculty to question their cultural beliefs, examine how diversity affects teaching and learning, foster more collaborative classroom interactions, maintain high academic expectations,…

Describes a university/high school/manufacturing company collaboration that offers alternative education to at-risk students. Students spend 20 hours per week as apprentices and 20 hours in the classroom at the manufacturing site, receiving pay for hours. After 2 successful years, they earn a high school diploma and have useful skills, improved…

Health promotion and community building strategies are increasingly using the arts as a basis for engaging young people. Through involvement in arts activity, participants have been shown to develop supportive social networks and report increased feelings of well-being (Jermyn, 2001). In particular, drama strategies and programs have been used as…

Pregnant teenagers and young parents often do not receive the quality of education available to other students. Most schools do not have a separate facility or program that deals with their special needs. Pregnant teens and teen parents should not be left behind. The Teen Parent Academy--a unique program in a predominantly Hispanic Texas border…

The achievement gap, traditionally measured by test scores, also can be documented by dropout behavior. Examining dropout behavior among Black, White, and Hispanic students, with a particular focus on gaps within groups and not just between Whites and minorities, shows a clearer picture of the achievement gap. The results of our study show…

Latina students face many challenges that can lead to school dropout. Although school counselors have the skills and training to provide counseling and guidance to students at-risk for dropping out of school, they are often placed in positions where their role is primarily administrative. This paper describes an online support group developed by…

This program was developed and implemented to resolve conflict among administrators, staff, and students, thereby reducing suspensions in a teen-parent school. Ranging from 12 to 20 years old, the target population was 160 female teen parents. The objectives for the program were for suspensions to be reduced by 15%; that 35% of the students would…

More than 80 delegates representing 17 Organisation for Economic Cooperation Development (OECD) member countries participated in a seminar directed toward policymakers and practitioners involved in establishing and maintaining linkages between secondary and postsecondary education, training, and employment. The seminar, which was jointly organized…

Since 80% of school leavers drop out with a "C" or higher grade average, poor performance is seldom the issue. This digest outlines a program that uses a comprehensive life-career focus to address youths' continuing learning needs. The program was developed to provide high-school-aged youth the skills, knowledge, and motivation necessary…

During 1988-91, the School, College, and University Partnership (SCUP) program at Northern Arizona University (NAU) provided services to disadvantaged students in seven rural high schools on or near the Navajo and Hopi reservations. Many of these students came from low-income families, lived in geographically isolated locations, and attended…

This manual describes the PACT (Parent and Community Team) for School Success concept, which was developed from insights and techniques gained from three dropout and intervention projects with high-risk junior high school youth and families. PACT focuses on ways to initiate and maintain a group that meets frequently to create ongoing cohesive…

The Businesses as On-Site Schools (BOSS) program was established as a dropout prevention effort combined with employability training for at-risk high school students. The setting was a vocational/educational alternative center in Florida. Businesses were contacted, and verbal intent to provide on-the-job training and an onsite mentor was…

This volume contains selected papers presented at National Black Student Retention Conferences between 1988 and 1991, that examine ideas concerning educational access and retention. The volume and papers are divided into three groupings which address: (1) The Psycho-Social Implications; (2) Model Strategies and Programs; and (3) Impacts of Faculty…

This study sought to identify and analyze critical factors in a Hispanic student's decision to persist or drop out at California state four-year institutions. In-depth telephone interviews with 151 Hispanic American students at five University of California campuses and seven California State University campuses were conducted. The interviews…

In 1988, the Forrest City Alternative School (Arkansas) began a program to provide care for the preschool children of teen mothers who wanted to obtain their high school diplomas. The children ranged in age from 8 weeks to 3 years in the infant/toddler group and 3-6 years in the child care group. These children were provided with care, preschool…