In Elizabethton (Tennessee) a separate program with one teacher keeps some high school students from dropping out and helps improve their attendance. (Author/MLF)

Describes four core elements of the Wai'anae High School Hawaiian Studies Program (HSP): contextualization of instruction within students' backgrounds; joint productive activity between teachers, students, and community mentors; detracking of students; and teaming and looping of teachers. The HSP is a community-based, culturally contextualized…

In the wake of New York State's action plan to raise graduation standards, New York City's public schools have struggled to meet the new mandates and still provide adequate remedial services to students who need them. Offering alternative crediting through independent and group work is proving successful. (MLH)

This article proposes a retention system for at-risk postsecondary vocational educational students that coordinates curricula, instructional accommodation strategies, and support systems by making effective use of the full scope of transition services and resources available. Discussed are best practices, assessment processes, and staff…

Examines the high school completion rate of students in the class of 1988 assigned to an inschool suspension (ISS) program at some time during their high school career. Clearly, ISS students are high risks for school completion, as shown by this study's less than 50 percent completion rate. Nonetheless, such programs are essential. (MLH)

New York City's Dropout Prevention Program's success depended on more than the usual commitment of resources, shared ideals, and dedicated people. A flexible planning framework was needed to overcome collaborators' mutual mistrust, identify common ground, and gain the support of line staff and top leadership in schools and in community…

Albertus Magnus College (Connecticut) has addressed the problem of declining enrollment offering a bachelor's degree program compressed into three years. Three full semesters are squeezed into an academic year. The semester is shortened by two weeks, but class time is lengthened. The third semester's tuition each year is discounted. (MSE)

The same family and community involvement seen in the Boston (Massachusetts) Whole Village Project has guided the efforts of six Maryland high schools to create school and family partnerships. All six schools are part of Maryland's Tomorrow dropout prevention initiative. (SLD)

Des Moines, Iowa's School within a School is locally funded program of instruction in basic skills, career guidance, and counseling support to meet needs of at-risk seventh- to tenth-grade students attending city's comprehensive middle and high schools. Program evaluations indicate declining dropout rate, increased attendance, and progress toward…

A study of 14 Open University (Great Britain) undergraduate courses examined tutor marked assignment (TMA) rates as a reliable early indicator of student retention. This article reviews the effectiveness of course-related evaluation strategies (standard, evaluator-initiated; specific, client-initiated; quantitative; and qualitative) and argues the…

Proposes a systematic approach that focuses on student success and continual improvement in retention to assess college student retention programs Identifies three major components of retention research: (1) determining dropout predictors; (2) identifying critical points; and (3) validating outcomes assessment of retention endeavors. Also…

The factors that contribute to student dropouts have been the focus of extensive deliberation during the last decade. Despite expanded attention, the number of dropouts remains unacceptably high. Drawing on the authors' 17-year history of dropout research in Texas, Arizona, and across the country, this article describes the alarming dropout rates,…

Act 49 of 1987 requires the Secretary of Education to provide the General Assembly with an annual report on public school dropouts in Pennsylvania. The purpose of this report is to document the actual number of students who drop out each year and to provide various characteristics about these students. The type of data collected about each dropout…

This report, produced by the National High School Center at the American Institutes for Research, outlines steps that schools can take to identify at-risk students and provide the necessary support systems and relevant interventions to assist students in obtaining a high school diploma. Further, the report discusses the use of early warning data…

"Alabama Education News" is published monthly except for June, July, and December by the Alabama Department of Education. This publication, authorized by Section 16-2-4 of the "Code of Alabama", as recompiled in 1975, is a public service of the Alabama Department of Education designed to inform citizens and educators about…