STRIVE was a special instructional program which provided a nurturing, caring, intensive instructional milieu for over-aged, low-performing ninth graders, who were perceived to be at risk of dropping out of school, at Barbara Jordan High School for Careers in Houston (Texas) during the 1988-89 school year. This report evaluates the effectiveness of the STRIVE project in improving student academic performance, and their attitudes toward themselves, learning, and class attendance. The following findings are presented: (1) STRIVE students significantly outperformed the non-STRIVE students in reading, mathematics, social studies, and science on the Metropolitan Achievement Test-Sixth Edition (MAT-6); (2) 47 percent of the students indicated that their desire to attend school every day had increased; (3) 65 percent of the students expressed increased appreciation for their teachers; (4) 57 percent of the students indicated that the program had helped them feel better about themselves; (5) 70 percent of the students stated that they felt more confident in their ability to improve their grades; (6) 90 percent of the students expressed that they would encourage other at-risk ninth graders to enroll in the program; (7) both STRIVE and non-STRIVE students' mean attendance rates declined, but the STRIVE students had a smaller margin of decline than the non-STRIVE students; and (8) 25 percent of the students left the program during the 1988-89 school year. One table is included. (JS)