Both the school-to-work system and youth development theory emphasize preparing youth for adulthood. They share the following characteristics: prevention of problem behaviors, a belief that young people develop by learning actively and in context, a conviction that young people need opportunities to interact with and be respected by adults who…

This study examined the perceptions of female, at-risk students, their parents, and personnel at their school. The study was conducted at a comprehensive high school in the greater metropolitan New York area. Educational engagement and school membership were analyzed to see how these factors contribute both to the academic success and full…

The Alpha Program for the 1994-95 school year was operated for at-risk students by the School Board of Broward County (Florida) at two middle schools and one elementary school under the provisions of a grant from the Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services. Services included academic instruction, parent involvement, group…

In 1993-94, the Austin (Texas) Independent School District (AISD) allocated money to four operations areas for five dropout prevention programs for overage ninth graders. Three of the five area dropout programs had positive effects on the dropout rates of students served. The dropout rates for these programs were lower than the sixth six-weeks…

In 1989, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development approved a 3-year international project to identify programs that have been effective in helping children at risk of educational failure. A conference held to launch the project identified program strategies for serving at-risk youth, determined ways for member countries to improve…

This booklet explores the necessary roles of the family and school in motivating youngsters to stay in school and to establish patterns for successful living. It covers what parents can do to develop responsible learners, and presents activities parents can use to build positive attitudes in their children about school as well as build confidence.…

The Health Academy and the Media Academy, two innovative high school intervention programs for at-risk youth in Oakland (California), are examined. A collaborative effort of the school district, business, and community, the academies are school-within-a-school programs that engage about 120 at-risk students each in specific academic curricula for…

A practicum addressed the problem of low self-esteem of at-risk students by developing and implementing a 12-week dropout prevention program for 19 eighth-grade students in urban, middle class school. The program used five basic strategies for raising self-esteem: affective skills training (using role playing, mapping, and brainstorming to help…

In Connecticut, the state with the highest per capita income in the country, 110,000 children, or 14.5 percent of the population, live in poverty; 39,000 of these poor children are 5 years of age or younger. Further, 38.5 percent of Black children and 62.3 percent of Hispanic children in Connecticut live in poverty. Poverty and membership in a…

This paper argues that programs for at-risk youth tend to overemphasize student adjustment and the mastery of institutional customs at the expense of instilling learning dispositions that might lead to the postsecondary educational training now required to find adequate adult employment. Programs often focus on drawing students into a more…

This report evaluates the effectiveness of the Attendance Improvement Dropout Prevention (AIDP) program during the 1987-88 school year, which provided services to New York City (New York) middle school students at risk of becoming truant or dropping out of school. Chapter 1, "Introduction," contains the following sections: (1)…

Arguing that educational disadvantage, underachievement, and dropping out are problems that originate with schools as well as students, this document describes the Work and Learning Center in Madison, Wisconsin, that was designed to meet the needs of high school dropouts. The first section gives disadvantaged students' perspectives on the school…

This document comprises an evaluation of the first-year implementation of the Junior High School Student Assistance Program (JHSSAP), a dropout prevention program of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). JHSSAP is comprised of the following components: (1) Extended Counseling (EC), providing 8 hours per week of auxiliary counseling at…

An instructional plan to rescue at-risk students must be based on a curriculum intended to serve all students. The creation of a functional curriculum, the promotion of employability skills, and an emphasis on improving study skills are instructional patterns that seem to be effective in reducing the number of student dropouts. Two alternatives…

This report describes and evaluates nine Chapter 2-funded programs in the Austin (Texas) Independent School District. The major positive findings were the following: (1) disciplinary actions have decreased since the implementation of Project ASSIST (Assisting Special Students in Stress Times); (2) extra transportation has allowed some reassigned…