A management information system developed in Santa Clara County monitors K-12 students through their school years. The data reflect up-to-date demographics and changes in students' behaviors and characteristics. School districts are able to identify areas of program strengths and weaknesses so that changes can be made. (MLF)

A study investigated the effects of an intensive group counseling workshop on 155 low-achieving high school students (in grades 10 through 12) considered to be at high risk of dropping out. Results indicate that the intervention was unsuccessful due to intra-group bonding that led to alienation from school activities. (TJH)

At Rough Rock Demonstration School in Arizona, a bilingual, bicultural curriculum helps Navajo students discover the power and validity of their own lives as tools for learning. (Author/TE)

Research shows that poor student-teacher relations adversely affect students' self-concept. Teachers at a Florida high school created positive advisor/advisee relationships for a group of high-risk students with grade-point averages of 1.5 or below. After 21 weeks, these students had better attendance and grade-point averages than control-group…

This business/school partnership program uses adult volunteers from a local business to facilitate the personal and emotional development of students at high risk of dropping out of school. After a 30-minute training session, volunteers eat lunch with an assigned student partner once a week for 14 weeks. Benefits of the program are seen for both…

Educator and researcher specializing in student retention, Tinto discusses own experience leaving doctoral program to join Peace Corps, reviews internal and external causes of attrition, characteristics of successful retention programs, and role of teaching in retention. Favors establishing a sense of community on campuses to enhance students'…

Examined extent to which high-risk students identified school staff as significant others, and whether relationship between students and these staff members had effect on students' decision to remain in or drop out of school. Findings from high school students did not support hypothesis that students who had significant other adult in school would…

This paper addresses the preparation of teachers to work with students who are both handicapped and at greater than average risk for dropping out of school. The paper describes teacher training program components including teacher/mentor skills training, academic and vocational skills training, interpersonal skills training, and parent involvement…

Reviews conditions in the environment that put the children of Hispanic migrant workers at risk for developing physical and cognitive disabilities. These include inadequate environmental protection, poor housing, and lack of access to health care and community resources. Strategies to facilitate positive change for farm worker families and…

Describes a workshop at the University of Hawaii at Manoa targeted at students overcoming academic difficulties and readmitted after a one-semester suspension. Participants are encouraged to use campus resources, make better decisions, and connect with other students and the institution. Preliminary evaluation suggests the workshop is an efficient…

Summarizes findings of two upcoming reports on programs that support and strengthen the academic achievement of under-represented student groups at both K-12 and postsecondary levels. The most successful programs at both K-12 and postsecondary levels were those which were comprehensive, extended over a long period of time, and bridged educational…

College-based programs that motivate underachieving teenagers to graduate and pursue further education is part of a menu of initiatives Guilford County, North Carolina, has introduced to meet the academic, social, and emotional needs of students in its middle and high schools, where racial and ethnic diversity and poverty have been on the rise. As…

Inner-city youth are at high risk for dropping out of high school. Within this article, risk factors associated with dropout and strategies for effective prevention and intervention are reviewed. An example of a school-based drop-out prevention program is highlighted. The FUTURES Program is a school-based drop-out prevention program designed to…

An evaluation was conducted of a 3-year demonstration program the purpose of which was to demonstrate the efficacy of projects that included vocational education as a key component in encouraging at-risk youth to remain in or return to school. Six of the 10 project grantees, funded under the Cooperative Demonstration Program of the Carl D. Perkins…

Every aspect of children's lives affects their ability to learn and succeed in school. However, conditions associated with poverty environments are major factors in students' dropping out. Children whose home environments and social backgrounds result in development different from the mainstream enter school at a distinct educational disadvantage.…