During the 1984-1985 school year, a pilot dropout outreach program was instituted by the Los Angeles (California) Unified School District's Division of Adult and Occupational Education in cooperation with the senior high schools division. Dropouts from the 1983-1984 school year were identified and were sent personal letters inviting them to return to the local community adult school, regional occupational center, or skills center to earn a high school diploma or to obtain job training. The initial mailing included a personal letter in English and Spanish, a brochure, and a postcard. Press conferences were held to coincide with each mailing, and separate follow-up mailings were sent to those who returned the postcard and to those who did not respond to the first mailing. Special counseling assistance was provided for students who responded to the mailings including discussion of opportunities for open enrollment, individualized competency-based learning programs, and flexible scheduling. Of 1,256 individuals to whom the initial mailing was sent, 215 (about 20 percent) responded positively to the invitation to return to school. The cost of the effort (not counting the time of regular division personnel) was $17.50 per student for recruitment and $100 per student for recovery. (Appendixes, comprising more than half the document, include samples of the letters, brochures, and postcards sent in the initial and follow-up mailings and examples of newspaper coverage of the project.) (MN)