This dropout prevention guide was designed to assist school districts in identifying potential dropouts and in developing and implementing programs that provide prevention, intervention, and remediation. The introductory section briefly reviews the purpose, design, and origin of this guide and recognizes national dropout concerns, the over-representation of minorities among dropouts, and the alienation of some gifted students. School, economic, and personal reasons for dropping out are listed; 40 characteristics of potential dropouts are given; the early identification of potential dropouts is discussed; and a potential early leaver is profiled. The steps that practitioners need to take to develop a dropout policy are outlined in the next section and an eight-step process is described. Other sections summarize procedures that districts can use to identify their own dropout problem and to plan their own course of action and describe 51 model programs in 18 dropout categories. The names of persons or agencies to contact in each program are given. This report concludes with a formal literature review of the dropout problem and a select bibliography that focuses on dropout literature and on evaluation and group process resources. The appendices contain dropout rate and high school graduate statistics and one school district's dropout report form. (NRB)