This report highlights recommendations made in recent research reports concerning the role of vocational education in enhancing the success of students at risk of dropping out of school. It has been found that components of vocational education programs successful at retaining students include mechanisms for helping at-risk youth to follow "normal" transitional paths through vocational programs and to take advantage of the job training aspects of those programs. It is suggested that work-study programs offered to at-risk students early in their high schools careers may actually encourage them to drop out because those activities are often unrelated to the ongoing school program and may actually serve as inducements for quitting school. It is further suggested that vocational education's contribution to the successful transition of disadvantaged youth may be improved by providing counseling and exploration prior to program placement, expanding cooperative education, integrating academic and vocational course work, developing criterion-referenced competency profiles, helping students obtain good jobs, and rewarding effective programs. Carefully monitored work experience, incentives such as personalized adult attention and guarantees of postsecondary educational opportunity, career counseling, and school volunteers serving as mentors and tutors are among recommendations for improving school-to-work transition programs. New policy objectives at the federal, state, and local levels have also been recommended, as well as the development of performance measures in academic achievement, vocational attainment and skills, employment outcomes, and postsecondary continuation and attainment. (Six references are included.) (CML)