This report describes progress made toward increasing the independence and quality of life for persons with disabilities since the National Council on the Handicapped's 1986 report "Toward Independence." Of the 45 legislative recommendations proposed in the 1986 report, 80 percent have been either partially or fully accomplished.…

An overview is provided of the problem of student attrition and the essential components of effective retention programs. Following introductory arguments that the secret of retention is in the development of communities committed to education rather than retention, the paper discusses several major causes of student attrition, including academic…

Two hearings held on October 24, 1985, and April 29, 1986, produced testimony about two House bills on prevention and treatment of Indian juvenile alcoholism and drug abuse. These bills provide for (1) programs of instruction on alcohol and drug abuse in Indian schools in kindergarten through grade 12; (2) training about alcohol and drug abuse for…

This study was conducted to identify factors that affect disadvantaged women in their efforts to gain long-term employment or to complete vocational and technical education programs. Following a review of literature, a questionnaire was prepared and administered to 160 disadvantaged women in Texas. An analysis of the questionnaire responses…

A study was conducted to determine whether there is an identifiable coping personality related to academic achievement and retention for black college students. Low coping students were also taught coping strategies to determine whether mastering academic requirements facilitates achievement and persistence. The relationship of black student…

Keynote papers from Delaware's first annual statewide conference on the education of children of limited English proficiency (LEP) are presented in this document. They include: "Delaware's Initiatives in the Education of Children of Limited English Proficiency" (William B. Keene); "Research and Issues in the Education of LEP…

This report is a summary of deliberations and strategy development at a forum focussed on the problems of youth at risk of not making a successful transition from school to adulthood. Twenty work groups came up with three priorities in dealing with the problems of at-risk youth: (1) address a child's education, social, health, and other needs…

This report, which reflects the contribution of over 250 Latino leaders in the Northeast, has the following purposes: (1) to call attention to the critical needs of Hispanic American communities in the region; (2) to assist the public and private sectors and community organizations in identifying and solving problems faced by Latinos; and (3) to…

The first 2 years (1986-1988) of the implementation of Fordham University's Stay-In-School Partnership Project (SSPP), a dropout program for urban high-risk children, are described. The long-term goal of the partnership between Fordham's Graduate Schools of Education and Social Science and New York City School District No. 4, a school district…

This report describes a survey, conducted winter 1987-88, of policies, practices, programs, and plans for pregnant and parenting students in nine urban school districts. Interviews were conducted with administrators in superintendents' offices, in dropout prevention planning, and in programs for pregnant and parenting students. Among the findings…

This report on a preventive law institute held in Texas in 1981 includes an introduction, three papers, a summary of discussions, and a concluding statement. In the introduction Christiane Hyde Citron defines preventive law as decision making that takes constitutional and case law into consideration and that includes four basic steps: (1)…

This report describes school and community efforts to prevent alcoholism and substance abuse among American Indian and Alaskan Native youth. In 1986, the Indian Health Service (IHS) surveyed Bureau of Indian Affairs schools, public schools with large Indian enrollments, and community groups involved in 225 IHS-funded alcohol and substance abuse…

This study sought to determine whether there is a set of in-school factors which might help explain the differences in dropout rates among schools with very similar student bodies. The study was designed as an in-depth ethnographic examination of four pairs of Chicago (Illinois) public high schools. One school in each pair had a high dropout rate…

This book collects articles that examine the patterns of dropping out evident among American youth, and the policies developed and implemented to reduce the incidence of dropping out. The following chapters (and their authors) are included: (1) Introduction (G. Natriello); (2) Can We Help Dropouts? Thinking about the Undoable (D. Mann); (3) Large…

The results of a study of school/business partnerships is reported. This privately funded national study was an assessment of collaborations attempting to increase the effectiveness of public schools. Qualitative research techniques were employed to study the components and structures of the programs and to assess student outcomes. The following…