Campus Partners in Learning (CPIL) encourages college and university students to act as mentors to middle school youth who are at risk of not completing a secondary education or making the transition to a productive adulthood. This national project, comprised of 202 colleges, offers information, technical assistance, and national visibility for…

Two groups of students at risk of not developing adequate mathematical knowledge and skills are (1) the "typical or usual" and (2) "the nominal mathematics students"--those who do not achieve at a satisfactory level in mathematics and/or do not enroll in mathematics courses beyond typical required courses. This digest provides…

The FOCUS program provided career counseling and job placement assistance to pregnant or parenting teens and young adults as well as young females who are at high risk of an early pregnancy. The goals of the program were to (1) increase economic self-sufficiency among adolescent and young adult women, thereby reducing welfare dependency and…

This pamphlet summarizes a conference in Boston on May 6, 1986. Its goal was to assess and plan strategies for the dropout problem in the Boston Public Schools. The Boston Compact, the draft plan contained in this document and prepared before the conference, served as the focus for discussion. Educators and administrators from across the country…

Good teachers leave teaching not because pay is low but because of poor working conditions and too little recognition. Since students can be strongly affected by teachers, teachers who feel negatively about themselves can adversely affect students. A five-evening workshop was developed in Dade County, Florida to boost teachers' self-esteem and to…

Middle College, a high school program on the LaGuardia Community College campus, was designed to reduce the urban dropout rate, to prepare students more effectively for work or college, and to attract more students to higher education. As a public alternative high school on a college campus, the program creates a continuum between high school and…

Project SAIL (Student Advocates Inspire Learning) is a Title IV-C Project located in Hopkins, Minnesota, designed to prevent students from dropping out of school by keeping them successfully involved in the mainstream environment. This study presents a review of other dropout prevention approaches, describes the intervention strategies involved in…

Learning-disabled students entering college may be uncomfortable about their abilities and disabilities and establish an "avoidance pattern" toward participation in class. Effective interventions combine support with realistic explanations of learning strengths and weakness, and include counseling, organizations supporting learning-disabled…

Compares and describes school leavers in Ontario, Canada, and Somerset, England. Notes functional illiteracy is common among school leavers. Decides that the best approach is a concentrated effort on reading in grades three and four. Describes such a program to be instituted in York, Ontario, in September, 1984. (BRR)

This paper describes and examines the effectiveness of a project undertaken by Florida's Palm Beach County school system to provide community based support services and to facilitate a community-school partnership in order to enhance the educational achievement of immigrant students, specifically those with limited English proficiency. The project…

The Texas Education Agency prepares an annual report on dropouts in Texas public schools. This report contains information on the annual dropout rate used in the accountability system and state attrition rates. It also includes a series of longitudinal secondary school completion/student status rates. Of the 1,818,940 students who attended grades…

This book asserts that alternative programs remain a practical management strategy for educating diverse student learners, offering specific ideas for program implementation, accountability for student learning, and quality service provision. The information serves as an overview of important factors to consider for those seeking new approaches to…

This packet of material contains a collection of strategies designed to prevent school failure and antisocial behavior. The collection includes: (1) "Why Are We Surprised?", which discusses the poor learning outcomes and troubling behaviors of some students with disabilities; (2) "Paying Now or Later," which addresses the cost…

Horizon High School combats student dropout rates in Bakersfield (California) by maintaining a small enrollment, high community involvement, close student-teacher relationships, flexible scheduling, and attention to individual students' educational needs and interests. Student attendance, graduation rates, and standardized test scores are…

One Washington state school district uses mariachi music lessons to engage Hispanic students in school and deter them from dropping out. The district's dropout rate is very low, despite its high Hispanic population. Students in the top-performing mariachi groups say that participating has motivated them academically. Just as mariachi has…