This paper examines the effects of school characteristics on both the probability of dropping out and the strongest predictor of dropping out -- absenteeism. The authors employ a sub-sample from the High School and Beyond (HS&B) database which contains results of background questionnaires and standardized achievement tests given in 1980 to…

Tons of paper and thousands of gallons of ink, not to mention countless digits and bytes, have been devoted to the study of dropouts--much of it focused on the causes of dropping out of school and the complex factors that contribute to that decision. Despite the intensity of this investigation, little has changed, except that the consequences of…

Attrition at Empire State College (ECS) is calculated in terms of three types of counts: temporal, activity, and degree progress. The strategy for assessing attrition using these three quantitative techniques is discussed as are qualitative phone interviews. The attrition rate in terms of a temporal count was 28 percent. Phone interviews with 93…

About 9 per cent of the students in Israel drop out of school. Attendance officers, who are appointed to enforce education attendance laws, and other decision makers have to deal with many dropout cases with limited resources, leading to sub optimal or even wrong solutions. In contrast, creative, successful solutions adopted by one attendance…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate retention efforts in Ontario (Canada) secondary schools in order to develop policy and support initiatives designed to reduce dropouts and improve retention rates. The study had four parts: (1) an analysis of credit accumulation for four cohorts and academic achievement patterns over 4 years in 16 schools;…

The New York City Board of Education's 1984-85 Attendance Improvement/Dropout Prevention Program was less than a complete success. This report compares the least and most successful schools, analyzing the factors that determine success: (1) size, (2) cost, and (3) services. Successful programs were consistently smaller, serving a smaller portion…

This report describes the development, implementation and evaluation of a pilot project aimed at reducing factors that contribute to the high dropout rate among students in vocational education programs. The author is concerned with reducing such factors as absenteeism, tardiness, suspensions, class cutting, and with increasing student…

This report presents findings on school leaving, part of a 5-year study on the transition of youth with disabilities from secondary school to early adulthood. Telephone interviews were conducted in 1987 with parents of approximately 8,000 youth (ages 13 to 21 and enrolled in special education in 1985-86) representing all 11 federal special…

Examined in this paper are the effects of school characteristics on both the probability of dropping out and absenteeism as the strongest predictor of dropping out. The project employed a subsample from the High School and Beyond database that contains results from questionnaires and achievement tests given in 1980 to approximately 30,000…

Discusses successful strategies for preventing Black students from leaving school before graduation. Argues that the best solution to this complex problem is to ensure that Black children learn the necessary academic and cognitive skills in school before proceeding to the next grade level. (FMW)

Discusses the drop out rate and the at-risk youth problem. Summarizes what some implemented federal and state programs are doing and what some will do. Lists goals of several states. (MVL)

Mexican American (MA) students remain at-risk for not completing high school. Since previous research has shown that parental involvement can positively influence MA students' academic achievement, the effects that parental involvement during students' eighth grade year has on students' school attendance in tenth grade are examined. Researchers…

The problem of early school leavers within a system that offers a wide range of vocational training at the secondary level is examined. Focus is on factors that influence a student to opt for a vocational program rather than remaining in a comprehensive high school or dropping out of school. By means of interviews and school attitude…

The purpose of this study was to determine what Ontario high schools might do in order to increase student retention. Four approaches were taken. The first focuses on the social ecology of high schools, looking at how they relate to their environment. The second focuses on organizational characteristics that others have reported are associated…

The Diversified Satellite Occupations Program Career Development sought to prevent dropout through these strategies: registration at a school situation away from the normal school setting, creation of a close teacher-student relationship, and raise achievement levels and lower anxiety levels. Program emphases at elementary, junior and senior high…