About one in four students who enter high school will not graduate. Numerous dropout-prevention programs have been implemented nationwide in the past decade to increase the high school graduation rate. This growth in programs has made it more difficult for educators to determine the effectiveness of the many alternatives. This guide is designed to…

This research project was conducted by McNeese State University College of Education in the fall of 1985 to analyze the problem of high school dropouts in Louisiana. Supervisors of the 64 school parishes in the state's educational system received a questionnaire and were asked to make copies and randomly select at least ten high school dropout…

Dropout prevention has become a compelling priority for school personnel. But high school dropout research leaves many school variables largely unexamined. This study describes a staffing committee that had been established in a large urban high school during the 1986-87 school year and responded specifically to referrals of students who were…

This report presents findings from a study of dropouts and students at risk in Chicago public schools. It is divided into five major chapters. Chapter 1 describes the study's grouping of Chicago high schools into four "types": selective academic; selective vocational; non-selective integrated; and non-selective segregated. A…

A survey conducted in May and June of 1987 sought the opinions of parents and teachers on how they view one another's role and performance in the education of children. The survey also measured the extent to which they were in agreement or disagreement about ways to strengthen home-school links. The resulting data are based on interviews with…

This report assesses the first year of a school achievement program in Lowell, Massachusetts (Lowell Achievement Program, LAP). The program targeted seventh and eighth grade students who were at risk for dropping out of school. The main goals of the program were to identify these students and to stimulate them to participate in their own learning…

A proposal is made to meet the requirements of a section of the Master of Science in Education degree plan with a special emphasis on alternative education. The requirements of the section of the degree plan can be met with recommended courses from the catalog of Western Oregon University. The proposed alternative education emphasis focuses on…

In 1983, the Des Moines (Iowa) Schools applied for approval to use the allowable growth funding provided in Senate File 2168 to expand and create additional programs for the prevention of dropping out as well as programs for students who had dropped out but were returning to school. The original proposal included the following: (1) an expansion of…

A preliminary summary is presented of a national survey, entitled "What Works in Student Retention," conducted in spring 1979 by the American College Testing (ACT) Program and the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems. The purpose of the survey was to identify, analyze, and compile information about campus action programs and…

This report describes the development of a project designed to enable high risk high school students to acquire the skills necessary to create computer art. The project was based on a perceived need for the development of a curriculum in computer graphics that would motivate high risk students to acquire skills that could lead to a long term…

This project described methods of early identification and implementation of various interventions used to increase achievement of students at risk in grades three, four, and five at John D. Floyd Elementary School in Spring Hill, Florida. The 51 children who qualified for and were enrolled in the dropout prevention program had achievement scores…

An evaluation of an alternative program for at-risk high school students offered in the Porter County (Indiana) school system is described in this report. The evaluation was based on student assessments of the program, obtained through use of an interview format. The program, which provides instruction in basic subject areas required for…

A program was developed to reduce the rising dropout rate of 9th- and 10th-grade students at Lewisville High School, a small rural school in Chester County, South Carolina. In the face of limited financial resources, the program manager coordinated existing services and networked with community agencies. School records, surveys, and questionnaires…

Responding to the high dropout rate in Providence, Rhode Island, public schools, community agencies, businesses, and teachers and administrators from the public schools joined together to form the Providence Dropout Prevention Collaborative. This document summarizes the study research, prevention plan, and implementation. The first chapter…

This resource handbook was developed to provide constituent school district personnel with a variety of strategies for improving student attendance and for reducing the dropout rate. A significant number of studies completed during the last 5 years have identified attendance as the critical issue confronting school administrators. Further, recent…