Students who drop out of school face a difficult future. For students with disabilities, the risks are intensified. Their dropout rate is about 40 percent--more than twice that of their peers without disabilities. However, families can play an important role in making sure their student with or without disabilities graduates. This brief provides…

Educators in a range of schools share tools and strategies for successfully working with youth who have become marginalized from school or are at risk of dropping out. The educators emphasize the importance of personally connecting with their students and nurturing the teenagers' interests. They also discuss the challenges of trying to establish…

Following up on the work of a task force that studied the dropout problem in the Los Angeles Unified School District and developed recommendations for addressing that problem, this report describes current dropout prevention efforts and proposals for expansion and presents recommendations for new approaches. Six major categories of programs are…

The purpose of this report is to identify the use of North Carolina's dropout prevention funds by local school systems and to define the types of services provided to students. Part I of the report contains a summary of funding by program type. A chart lists the total amount of funds obligated from state dropout prevention and other program…

College dropout rate as a function of poor fit between institution and students has been studied extensively, but how this phenomenon operates for disadvantaged students is not adequately understood. This study examines the effects of a project that attempts to use peer relationships--tutoring and mentoring--to improve academic performance and…

This report describes a learning assistance program at Lamar University, Texas, designed to improve study skills and decrease attrition among college students through the use of peer counselors. The objectives of this two-credit, non-remedial course are discussed, and the material covered in the 18-week course is described, by week, in Table 1.…

At Santa Fe Community College (SFCC), a proactive, "intrusive" approach to counseling has been developed to identify students who may be at the point of dropping out of classes due to anxiety and frustration. Under this approach, termed the Early Alert Referral System, the advisor takes responsibility for establishing contact with the…

Begun in 1965, the Redlands Christian Migrant Association (RCMA) has focused on the needs of migrant farmworkers and their children. RCMA considers the fields of education, health, and housing as the areas of greatest impact upon migrant children. In its major role as a catalyst, RCMA has worked with various individuals with common objectives of…

The document reports on a cooperative effort of Greeneville City and Greene County (Tennessee) Schools to develop a comprehensive career education program for grades 7-12, titled School Program Advancing Career Education (SPACE). The document opens with SPACE's rationale, targeted toward the creation of curriculum and instruction to meet the needs…

Although schools can do little to help youth from desperately poor, violent, or drug-addicted families, they can educate other at-risk youngsters who are discouraged or defeated learners. Schools can raise these kids' self-esteem by bestowing serious work assignments, (not "warm fuzzies"), solitary learning space, or external rewards for everyday…

The Freshman Advising Program at Illinois Benedictine College is described. The program was developed to improve the quality of academic advising and to lower the student attrition rate. (MLW)

A dropout prevention program is described which incorporates direct involvement of parents in training; an advisory committee made up of employers, parents, students, and staff; and a subcontract which allowed continuation of the program throughout the summer. The effectiveness of the program is discussed. (CT)

This report describes and compares different methods used to calculate and report dropout rates; discusses advantages and disadvantages of each method; explains what is known about dropout students; and outlines actions states are taking to reduce dropout rates. Data are presented on whether dropout rates are lower now than in the 1980s in…

The Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) has provided an alternative school program for students with long-term suspensions since the 1995-96 school year. Since 1996-97, the WCPSS has contracted with a private firm to operate the Richard M. Milburn High School (RMHS), as an alternative learning center. This Executive Summary highlights the…

Risks are taken in establishing alternative school programs but they can be minimized by giving the proper attention to several critical factors. (Author)