Louisiana Tech University conducted a program to reduce drop-out probabilities for at-risk special needs adolescents as part of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA). Eighty-six students between the ages of 14 and 16 were chosen as "at-risk" based on economic disadvantage, lower academic performance, behavioral and adjustment problems,…

Research over the last ten years provides overwhelming evidence that the most successful students have strong positive self-concepts. This booklet reviews literature on self-concept and describes many programs designed to improve student self-esteem. The paper begins by noting that although no one understands the order of the cause and effect…

The Northeast Louisiana University (NLU) Dropout Intervention Strategy Program (1990-1991) was designed to train administrators and teachers in junior high schools to recognize, treat, and relate to at-risk students who have been identified as potential school dropouts. The 13 participating schools were identified as having potentially high…

A study examined the differences between the experiences and beliefs about school held by young adolescents identified as potential dropouts and those held by their more successful peers. The study was conducted at a larger, urban junior high school with an ethnic composition of 47% Orientals, 31% Whites, 16% Hispanics, 6% Blacks and .3% Native…

In the fall of 1985, 10 academy programs were established by the State of California as replications of the Peninsula Academies already operating in a local school district for four years. An academy is a modified high school program with the following specific elements, among others: (1) students with academic potential who are at risk of…

Although every school must develop its own dropout prevention programs, the framework for multifaceted solutions can be similar, involving a systemic approach consisting of the following: (1) identification and intervention policies; (2) interventions by educational leaders, teachers, and parents; (3) academic and support programs; and (4)…

This report evaluates the special education component of the 1986-87 Attendance Improvement/Dropout Prevention program of the New York City Board of Education. The program was designed to provide intensive services to special education students at risk of dropping out of school. The report presents characteristics of students in the program,…

A national study of 14 alternative secondary schools (urban, rural, and suburban) enrolling students at risk of dropping out suggests that effective schools provide at-risk students with a community of support and can prevent students from dropping out. Eight policy recommendations comprise a youth policy agenda for states and communities. (SLD)

A study investigated aspects of the problem of at-risk youth aged 9-15 in the public schools. Focuses were compulsory attendance education; school programs; demographics; developmental characteristics; patterns of behavior leading to academic success or failure; academic achievement; and school/community efforts. Evidence showed that compulsory…

The Peninsula Academies is a three-year high school program for at-risk students, designed to provide them with incentives both to graduate and to acquire labor market-relevant skills. An academy combines academic and technical training in a school-within-a-school setting, and is based on school-business partnerships. In the fall of 1985, 10…

Reviews the evidence on how the concept of opportunities to learn can be applied to the demand for more challenging content for all students. Concludes that students learn more if they are offered more demanding curricula. However, such curricula creates the probability of unacceptable rates of failure. (MJP)

Discusses ways that media and technology facilitate learning. Considers cognitive, motivational, and social needs of at-risk students; underlying causes of school failure; ways technology might improve at-risk students' learning; how technology might facilitate school restructuring; and ways schools must be restructured to increase the effective…

Studied characteristics distinguishing successful and failing Hispanic innercity high school students, using 24 high dropout-risk and 24 low dropout-risk Hispanic tenth graders (22 males and 26 females). When compared to high-risk counterparts, low-risk students were more satisfied with their school and maintained social groups predominantly free…

The New Horizons Program provides supportive services such as counseling, attendance monitoring, career-related instruction, and work experience to dropout-prone students and their families in order to improve students' academic achievement and increase their graduation rate. Work experience, a major component of the program, helps students focus…

This study examined the effect of the Nicholls State-Youth Opportunities Unlimited (NS-YOU) program on 30 adolescents aged 14 and 15. The NS-YOU summer program was designed by Nicholls State University to address the dropout problem among adolescents from low income families. This program provided remediation, counseling, and job training to 14-…