Discusses the high drop-out rates in most Canadian provinces and social motivators for leaving school. Examines the extent to which allocation of provincial funds to local school systems influences the drop-out problem. Suggests that provincial compensatory funding has had limited but positive impact on drop-out rates. Recommends drop-out…

Compares and describes school leavers in Ontario, Canada, and Somerset, England. Notes functional illiteracy is common among school leavers. Decides that the best approach is a concentrated effort on reading in grades three and four. Describes such a program to be instituted in York, Ontario, in September, 1984. (BRR)

Early intervention, substantial parent involvement, effective instruction, and staff development that empowers teachers can improve the achievement of at-risk students. The task is to combine each of these components into a coherent whole by coordinating the efforts of the school, the family, and the community into a comprehensive set of…

A program in British Columbia places at-risk high school students with one teacher for the remainder of their high school years. The integrated curriculum, constructed to be relevant to their lives, combined with the emphasis on respect, compassion, trustworthiness, and tolerance have enabled almost 100 students to graduate from the program. (TD)