This study of students at risk was conducted to determine who is at risk, what puts students at risk, what schools are doing to help those students, and how effective these efforts are. Data were collected on about 49,000 students and almost 10,000 teachers in over 275 schools in 85 U.S. communities, and researchers conducted case studies of 65…

This monograph brings together what has been learned over the past few decades about children at risk, as it analyzes current strategies designed to improve student and school performance and proposes ways of achieving academic excellence with high reliability. Section 1, "Becoming at Risk of Failure in America's Schools," integrates…

A 4-year case study was done of a partnership program between the Houston (Texas) Independent School District and Texas A&M University's College of Education (College Station) designed to prepare student teachers for work in inner-city public schools. The two institutions worked together through four collaborative decision-making councils to…

Analyzes concepts of access and success as they relate to educational practice for homeless students, describing a congressional policy shift and barriers to education. A survey of 45 state coordinators and a case study of the Chicago (Illinois) public schools reveal how difficult it is to provide success for homeless students. (SLD)

Notes that homeless children lack many normal requisites for development and learning. Issues facing programs for homeless children in the early years are explored. Well-designed child care and school programs that provide family support can allow children to develop in spite of the turbulence of their lives. (SLD)

Schools are not serving our Black and Hispanic youth well, as standardized test scores reflect. The problem of educating these students must be addressed. This book offers suggestions to educators who have the interest, intent, and inspiration to facilitate achievement motivation among these students, but who may lack the information or teaching…

This paper evaluates the effectiveness of the Beating the Odds (BTO) program of the Houston (Texas) schools in the 1990-91 school year, the third and final year of Phase I of the program. The BTO program provided training workshops for teachers of at-risk students and direct counseling and social service support for at-risk students in a selected…

Using the Scale of Intrinsic versus Extrinsic Orientation in the Classroom (S. Harter, 1980) and the Self-Perception Profile for Children (S. Harter, 1985), this study of 222 urban early adolescents (median age=149 months) examined differences in motivation that might affect academic achievement and perceptions of competence. Socioeconomic status…

In 1988, the California legislature provided funding for development of two Middle College High School (MCHS) projects, one at Contra Costa College (CCC), and another one at Los Angeles Southwest College (LASC). The MCHS is a high school program on a college campus designed to meet the needs of high risk urban youth with college potential. Through…

This longitudinal research study summarizes how inner-city children's development and achievement are affected by preschool attendance, varying educational models, parent involvement, and identified risk-factors. The study of Washington, DC schools began with 3 cohorts of 4-year-olds enrolled in 3 different preschool models: child initiated,…

This study of the educational attainments of students living in poverty was conducted in response to a resolution of the Virginia State Senate. Census counts of persons living below the poverty level, counts of students enrolled in free lunch programs, test scores, and two previous analyses of the achievement of Virginia students were used in the…

As part of a substance abuse prevention project, a measure was developed in both English and Spanish to measure levels of acculturation among members of a Latino youth population for later comparison of acculturation with high-risk behaviors. The Latino Youth Acculturation Scale (LYAS) consists of 23 items. Eleven items deal with language use of…

The lives and places in society of urban youth at risk of dropping out of the Los Angeles (California) Unified School District schools are explored through interviews of adolescents whom the author met when doing field work in Los Angeles County. Data come from interviews conducted in the course of the 1991 Drug Use Forecasting Study (DUF) and the…

By focusing on the settings and environments in which high-risk young people are living, this book fixes responsibility on society as a whole. High-risk settings do not just happen, but are the result of public policies and national choices. The Panel on High-Risk Youth of the National Research Council attempts to clarify forces tearing apart…

In response to state legislation specifying criteria by which schools should identify elementary school and secondary school students at risk of dropping out, schools in the Austin (Texas) Independent School District reported students who were at risk in 1990-91. The operational definitions for the state criteria for grades 7-12 include age,…