Approaches to promote attendance and prevent nonattendance range from methods designed to help individual students with specific attendance problems, to programs aimed at the student bodies of entire school systems. The former approaches usually are well documented as to results, but raise questions regarding generalizability and applicability for…

The Stay In--You Win project of Alberta, Canada is designed to harness the resources of the school, community, and parents in support of the student staying in school and completing a high school diploma. It is an approach dependent upon partnerships and teamwork. It is an approach based on research findings from around the world, programs that…

Module Two of the Alberta project "Stay In--You Win" is presented in this document. The stated objectives of this module are: to provide the facts of dropping out; to examine the educational, social, and economic consequences of dropping out; to explore the reasons why early school leavers decide to drop out and to provide a profile of…

Module Three of the Alberta project "Stay In--You Win" is presented in this document. This module provides for an integrated strategy involving community, parents, students, and teachers. A collaborative team planning approach is used to maximize the "buy-in" of all teachers. The stated objectives of the module are to introduce…

Module Four of the Alberta project "Stay In--You Win" is presented in this document. This module is designed to generate ideas for planning effective initiatives for schools. The stated objectives of this module are to provide a listing of dropout prevention programs in Alberta high schools; to encourage interpersonal networking among…

Across Canada almost 40 percent of youth drop out and do not finish high school. Young people feel they can drop out of school and find a job tomorrow that will pay them enough so they can continue the lifestyle to which they are accustomed. However, unemployment rates for individuals between the ages of 15 and 24 are high. There are people who…

A study was conducted among high school students to discern their reasons for dropping out of school. Indepth interviews were conducted with a random sample of 544 dropouts from a large urban board in Canada. The profile of a typical dropout in the literature is one of a chronic low achiever who is aimless, alientated, angry, and has a variety of…

An unacceptable number of students appear to be at great risk of not attaining the education levels essential to become successful, contributing members of society. An array of agencies at community levels receive funding from various levels of governments to provide support services to address the various elements of risk. Yet the problem of…

Reports on the personal experience of participating in an alternative high school, a project to reclaim at-risk, talented high school dropouts. Discusses the author's experiences, including fatherhood at a young age, on his way to discovering his artistic talent. Illustrations provided by author. (Author/JDM)

This document reports on a study which examined the causes, manifestations, and prevention of the student dropout problem in Ontario's secondary schools. The methodology and analyses of the three-part study are briefly reviewed in the introduction. Data was gathered by means of focus group sessions plus a province-wide telephone survey using four…

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…

Stay-in-School is a Canadian government initiative launched in the early 1990's encouraging young Canadians to build a solid foundation for the future by finishing high school and by acquiring the skills needed for the labor force of tomorrow. Three fundamental principles guided the initiative: (1) compassion, caring, and commitment are essential…

This report provides an overview of the phenomenon of early school leaving through presentation and discussion of relevant research issues, concerns, and retention strategies for potential leavers. It includes a brief review of the current literature with an emphasis on Canadian and Saskatchewan research. The extent of the early school leaving…

Examined effects of counseling program to promote career maturity among youth with learning disabilities and other youth at risk of becoming dropouts. First study involved low-achieving students in integrated career program; second used adolescents with learning disabilities. In both studies, students in intervention condition, in contrast to…

The Teacher Alert System was designed in Alberta, Canada, for classroom teachers and school personnel concerned about the needs of "at risk" students. The guide can assist in the identification, assessment, and intervention process for children who have special needs. The student's problems may be related to learning, emotions, or…