RESEARCH ON SCHOOL DROPOUTS IS HANDICAPPED IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS--DEFINITION OF THE DROPOUT POPULATION, INCONSISTENT METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION, INADEQUATE RESEARCH DESIGNS, COMMUNITY VARIATION, VARIATION IN TYPE OF DROPOUT, AND KNOWLEDGE OF THE PROCESS OF DROPPING OUT. DROPOUT GROUPS SHOULD BE CLEARLY DEFINED, AND VARIATION IN THESE GROUPS SHOULD BE EMPHASIZED. SCHOOL RECORDS SHOULD NOT BE RELIED ON TOO HEAVILY. EXTENSIVE INTERVIEWS ARE EFFECTIVE. COMMUNITY VARIATIONS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED AND GENERALIZATIONS SHOULD NOT BE MADE WITHOUT THESE CONSIDERATIONS. RESEARCH SHOULD EMPHASIZE THE PROCESS OF DROPPING OUT INSTEAD OF THE PROPERTIES OF SCHOOL DROPOUTS. THE INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS IS DEEPLY AFFECTED BY THE ELEMENTS THAT PRODUCED THE RESEARCH REPORTS. SOME THINGS TO BE CONSIDERED ARE--DROPOUT RATES, SEX, RACIAL AND ETHNIC BACKGROUND, FAMILY TYPE, AGE OF DROPOUTS, INTELLIGENCE AND ACHIEVEMENT, GRADE ATTAINMENT, AND REASONS FOR LEAVING OR STAYING IN SCHOOL. HIGH-ASPIRING DROPOUTS WHO RETURN TO SCHOOL HAVE GENERALLY BEEN NEGLECTED IN RESEARCH. TRAINING AND CHANGE AT THE TEACHER LEVEL IS MOST EFFECTIVE WHEN IT IS COUPLED WITH CHANGE AT THE ADMINISTRATIVE LEVEL. THE SUCCESS OF MANY PROJECTS IN LOW-INCOME SCHOOLS RESTS WITH ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE RATHER THAN WITH THE ADOPTION OF SPECIFIC PACKAGES OF PROGRAM. AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY OF RESEARCH ON DROPOUTS IS INCLUDED. MAJOR AREAS ARE-- STATEMENT AND DEFINITION OF THE PROBLEM, SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS, PROFILE OF THE DROPOUT IN THE SCHOOL SETTING, POST-DROPOUT ATTITUDES AND EXPERIENCES, ACTION PROGRAM AND RECOMMENDATIONS, AND BIBLIOGRAPHIES ON DROPOUTS. A THIRD SECTION CONTAINS ANNOTATED REFERENCES AND METHODOLOGY.