This document was prepared to aid Rhode Island schools in dealing with youth at risk of school failure. It defines at-risk students as young people who in danger of not completing school and notes that in Rhode Island over 25% of students who enter school fail to graduate from high school. It stresses the need for schools and communities to focus on the early identification and treatment of at-risk youth. Section I of the guide describes the role of the guide, which is to focus on ways schools can reduce the number of students who are at risk through timely interventions at an early grade, prevention programs that reduce the number of potentially at-risk students, and mobilization of community agencies in cooperation with the school district. Section II identifies characteristics of the at-risk student under the headings of academic, school/social, home/social, and personal/social characteristics. Section III presents considerations for action, suggesting that schools examine school characteristics, review current practices, and learn about successful approaches in the area. Section IV addresses the question of what can be done to help at-risk youth at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels; and reviews specific academic, advocacy, and structural or support strategies that can provide a starting point for a school-designed approach to helping at-risk youth. Section V concentrates on local action, including how to devise and implement a local district or school plan. (NB)