The numbers tell a grim story: By the time students with behavioral or emotional problems get to high school, they may be so alienated from adults or disruptive to their classmates that they simply drop out. According to a 2006 report from the U.S. Department of Education, the high school graduation rate for students identified as emotionally disturbed was only 35% in 2002, the latest year for which figures were available, while 56% of those students dropped out. No other group of students with disabilities monitored by the department had a lower graduation rate or higher dropout rate, the report showed, and the numbers had not changed substantially in 10 years. To help address that problem, a consortium of seven universities has received a $9.6 million grant from the federal government to establish the National Research and Development Center on Serious Behavior Disorders at the Secondary Level. Researchers affiliated with the new initiative will search for successful methods for educating a group of students that some experts see as long overlooked. For the researchers, developing a package of effective teaching and behavior-management techniques means reaching beyond the classroom. Parent training will be a part of the interventions under investigation, as well as teacher training. The researchers will also try to help students develop healthy habits for their lives outside of school, a strategy of particular importance for students teetering on the brink of adulthood.