Reports that anecdotal evidence and studies by individual institutions suggest that course completion and program retention rates are generally lower in distance education courses than in their face-to-face counterparts. Suggests some of the causes may be that distance students are often older, have more obligations, or that lack of face-to-face…

This paper reports the results of a telephone survey of 151 undergraduates who withdrew in their first year of study at a post-1992 institution. It focuses on the negative experiences which they reported during their time at the university and the ultimate reasons for leaving, exploring in particular issues around choice of course, academic…

As a nation, Kenya hopes to achieve Education for All (EFA) by the year 2015. This is an uphill task given the various challenges in the education sector. The year 2015 is also significant globally because it is the target year for the fulfillment of the eight-millennium goals. Kenya looks forward to have her people achieve the millennium goals…

A study examined the impact of the National Foundation for the Improvement of Education (NFIE) Dropout Prevention Program on teachers and the implications of the program for professional development. Kindergarten through high-school classroom teachers designed their own projects, applied for grants, controlled project budgets, directed…

The Durham Public Schools Communities in Schools (CIS) Academy provides a student-centered environment that encourages high-risk students to remain in school and get back on track for graduation. Program operations began in January 1995. This paper presents the results of an evaluation of the first semester of operations (the second semester of…

The purpose of this evaluation is to provide formative Information about selected Orange County Public Schools (CPS) dropout prevention and retrieval programs. The following seven alternative learning programs were evaluated: School-Within-a-School; Alternative Resource Elementary Classrooms; The Challenge Center; The Plaza Center; BETA and ACEPT…

Employment Plus is an intervention program offered by the Chesapeake Public School Division (Virginia) that targets high school students who are at risk of educational failure. The program is provided by the Department of Vocational Education and is offered in all high schools. Employment Plus offers an alternative to the traditional high school…

Since 1980, at least 8 states and more than 200 localities have developed programs that deliver a variety of health, social, and education services at or near schools. Many of the students served by these programs are at risk of failing in school or dropping out. These comprehensive school-linked programs are attempting to improve the educational…

Although each of the 11 programs evaluated in this report during the 1989-90 school year had its own unique design and objectives, their common goal was to increase the likelihood that at-risk students in Cleveland (Ohio) schools would complete their high school education. Programs were evaluated in terms of changes from the previous year in the…

Eight alternative educational programs that are part of the Portland, Oregon, Public School District are reviewed in this report. Responses from principals and program coordinators at each school to a comprehensive questionnaire provide information concerning staffing, student characteristics, facilities, course offerings, expenditure per student,…

The pro-active telephone-tutored delivery mode developed by the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology's Rural Library Training Project provides a model for increasing the completion rate of traditional correspondence courses, relieving the isolation factor associated with correspondence, and providing pacing while still allowing flexibility for…

The report evaluates the 1985-86 Special Education Attendance Improvement/Dropout Prevention and Dropout Prevention (AIDP/DPP) programs as they operated in 45 New York City sites. City tax-levy DPP funds were allocated during the 1985-86 school year to the Division of Special Education to expand existing state-funded AIDP services for at-risk…

This interim report examines the second-year implementation of dropout prevention programs in the 42 public schools that are part of the New York Dropout Prevention Initiative (NYDPI). Evaluators employed both qualitative and quantitative methodologies in gathering data on the 29 middle school and 13 high school program sites, and on the…

The Occupational Proficiency Training Program (OPT) was initiated in Mitchell County High School, Georgia, to identify potential dropouts, place them in an alternative vocational education program, provide special communications and mathematics assistance, and maintain knowledge through recordkeeping of a student's progress through the program.…

The Teenage Pregnancy and Parenting Project (TAPP) of San Francisco is a city-wide interagency service system coordinated by the city's Family Service Agency and Unified School District. Clients participate in pre- or post-natal service systems that provide free, personal, and continuous counseling for up to three years. Case managers identify and…