Reviews four current books on the dropout problem. Two are termed state of the art, but all are limited because the needs of at-risk students are numerous, the programs for them are diverse, and theories of student engagement are not yet well developed. (DM)

Treatment attrition is a major problem for programs treating adolescent substance abusers. To isolate and cross validate factors which are predictive of addiction treatment attrition among adolescent substance abusers, screening interview and diagnostic variables from 119 adolescent in-patients were submitted to a discriminant equation analysis.…

Examination of dropout trends in New York City for 1986-87 reveals the following: (1) the annual dropout rate was 7.3 percent for the high schools, and 8.3 percent system-wide; (2) the estimated four-year dropout rate was 26.3 percent for the high schools, and 29.2 percent system-wide; (3) the 1986-87 four-year high school dropout rate was 6.2…

Despite statewide standards, the accuracy of statistical data on dropouts reported by New Jersey schools appears to vary considerably from district to district. Moreover, statewide dropout rates differ significantly depending on the method of calculation used. Several different methodologies, which incorporate unverified information collected from…

Almost 19,000 Dade County Public School students--all the members of the 8th grade cohort in June 1980--were followed across four and a half years in a study of dropouts. Major findings include the following: (1) at the end of the follow-up period, 29.5% of the cohort had dropped out (19% of Asians, 26.4% of Whites, 29.3% of Hispanics, and 33.9%…

Arguing that reliable and valid dropout rate estimates are prerequisite to establishment of causal factors and intervention programs, this article examines differences in definitions of dropouts, computational methods, and the complexities in defining cohorts, as well as the importance of sample attrition. Several sources of error are discussed.…

Examination of dropout trends in New York City for 1987-88 reveals the following: (1) the annual dropout rate was 7.5 percent for the high schools, and 8.4 percent system-wide; (2) the estimated 4-year dropout rate was 26.8 percent for the high schools, and 29.7 percent system-wide; (3) the 1987-88 4-year high school dropout rate was 5.7…

In order to determine the extent to which New York City students are dropping out of high school, the progress of the over 70,000 members of the class of 1986 was followed from September 1982, through June 1986. By the date of their anticipated graduation, the class of 1986 was characterized by the following: (1) 22 percent had dropped out; (2) 12…

Dropout rates reported by states and school districts are produced by a variety of accounting procedures. Since these rates are difficult to compare and interpret, they fail to correctly measure the dropout rate. A uniform definition of school dropout is needed. The degree of variation was examined by analyzing 21 local definitions. The five…

The Office of Research and Evaluation (ORE) of the Austin (Texas) Independent School District (AISD) annually summarizes the district's dropout statistics for grades 7 through 12. This report contains the school-year and annual dropout counts for high school for the past six years, 1983-84 through 1988-89, and for grades 7 and 8 for the past five…

This paper suggests that the current wave of educational reform carries with it a conception of "excellence" derived from concern for the productivity of the nation's human potential. First, differing concepts of excellence are addressed, followed by a discussion of recent educational reforms that are perceived as threats to students who…

Reviews the origins and development of the 20th-century term "drop-out." Asserts that the social construction of the drop-out problem explicitly marks the time when secondary education became a common expectation in the United States. Contends that secondary education's success created the concept of a drop-out "problem." (CFR)

Describes a study which examined relationships between academic persistence and turn-around time, feedback interval, and contacts between student and institution beyond assignment submissions at Allama Iqbal Open University, Darling Downs Institute of Advanced Education, Open Learning Institute of British Columbia, Tasmanian State Institute of…

Presents study results of the influence of adolescent childbearing and marriage on the likelihood of girls completing high school. Reports striking differences by ethnicity. Concludes that the effect of teen marriage on school completion was significant only for whites, with Latinas likely to drop out regardless of pregnancy, and married African…

Each public school that had students enrolled in grades 9-12 was surveyed to gather data on the extent and nature of the school dropout problem in New Mexico during the 1983-84 school year. Data on grade, sex, ethnicity, and reason for dropping out were collected. Information was obtained from all 88 public school districts and from 99% of the…