This ERIC digest examines the extent of early school leaving among migrants, conditions that precede early school leaving, common features of programs that work to retrieve dropouts, and illustrative programs that exhibit these features. The Migrant Attrition Project estimates a 45% national dropout rate of migrant students. Conditions that lead to early school leaving are: (1) overage grade placement; (2) poverty; (3) interrupted school attendance; (4) inconsistent recordkeeping; and (5) limited English proficiency. "Dropout retrieval" is the effort to identify dropouts and help them complete high school diplomas. Effective features of dropout retrieval programs focus on academics, vocational training, and support services. The High School Equivalency Program provides migrant dropouts the chance to prepare for the General Equivalency Development Test (GED) in a residential program on a college campus or in a commuter program. The Migrant Dropout Reconnection Program in Geneseo, New York, offers referral services to 16- to 21-year-old migrant dropout youth. Family literacy programs, including the Even Start program, address intergenerational literacy. The Migrant Alternative School in Yakima, Washington, provides GED preparation in both English and Spanish, ESL instruction, basic skills, vocational training, counseling for employment and college planning, and some credit-bearing classes for students who return to high school. Work study can also help students develop occupational skills and earn needed income. (KS)