This study reports students' perceptions of their school's curriculum, support services, attendance policies, and social-learning climate. The study analyzed the interview responses of a sample of 236 students, administrators, teachers, and counselors at 6 Florida high schools representing a range of graduation rates. The following general…

This document presents the transcript of a hearing before the House Subcommittee on Education Reform about state and local level special education programs that work and federal barriers to innovation as part of efforts to reform the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Highlights of the testimony include: (1) progress in New York in…

Project RETAIN (Retention in Education Technical Assistance and Information Network) is a Florida project that assists school districts through identification and dissemination of effective practices that keep students with mild disabilities in school. One part of the project examined dropout rates from Florida's 67 school districts and their…

Recent literature demonstrates the need for closer examination of general track curriculum students' experiences in order to increase high school graduation rates. General track students' reactions to school policies and practices governing extracurricular activities and attendance are described in this report. A case study methodology involved…

Helping reduce the dropout rate and improving the school attendance of high-risk students who were under court sanction to attend school was the focus of this practicum conducted in a rural community in the northeast region of Florida. The project was necessary because: (1) existing youth services handled individuals adjudicated as delinquent…

To address the issues of student recruitment and retention in Florida, a three-year research study was conducted. The three phases of the study sought the following: (1) to describe barriers to recruitment and retention of disadvantaged, unemployed, underemployed, out-of-school youth as perceived by students, teachers, counselors, and…

The Florida Department of Education (FDE) is developing an educational blueprint for the 1990s with a strong commitment to vocational and adult education. Commitments are being made to implement career education concepts, extend job awareness experiences to the elementary grades, counsel students to ensure early career plans, enhance vocational…

The New Smyrna Beach Employability Skills Training Program in Florida offers emotionally and behaviorally disordered adolescents the opportunity to learn basic academic, social, employability, and business skills through participation in a school-based business that models an actual job site. Comparative data for suspensions, dropouts, and…

To motivate students toward higher achievement and encourage mingling across racial and socioeconomic groups, a team of Florida seventh-grade teachers developed a plan featuring a rotating schedule, enrichment classes for all students, long time-blocks two days weekly, and heterogeneous cohesive groups. The program exposed all students to a…

This document contains vocational education program courses standards (curriculum frameworks and student performance standards) for exploratory courses, practical arts courses, and job preparatory programs in diversified occupations education offered at the secondary or postsecondary level as a part of Florida's comprehensive vocational education…

Between September 1, 1984, and August 31, 1985, a study examined the barriers to enrollment in and completion of postsecondary-level nontraditional vocational education programs in Florida. Data were collected from students and faculty members at 36 of Florida's 59 area vocational-technical centers and community colleges as well as from on-site…

School district associations across the country have often opposed charter school legislation as strongly, or more strongly, than have teachers unions. They typically argue charter schools will threaten the tradition of local control of schools by elected officials, drain their financial resources, and distract them from pursuing…

This manual is designed to assist school personnel in their efforts to increase the number of women and nontraditional students who are recruited into and retained in nontraditional occupational preparation programs. Discussed first are the nature and scope of the problem of retaining disadvantaged students in nontraditional vocational programs,…

The report presents Redlands Christian Migrant Association's (RCMA's) position on Florida's Migrant Education Program, the program changes sought by RCMA, and background and back-up materials. The packet of materials includes brief discussions of the background and reactivation of the Task Force on Migrant Education; State Board of Education…

Mentoring is a structured one-on-one relationship between an adult and youth that focuses on the needs of the youth, providing him or her with support, guidance, and assistance. This information capsule summarizes research findings on the impact of mentoring on factors such as academic achievement, social behaviors, attitudes, drug and alcohol…