This guide was designed to help local educators develop and implement a comprehensive program to support pregnant and parenting teenagers and assure them access to the resources and models they need to complete their education. Section I includes an overview of the demands faced by these young people and reviews the available research on…

The Center for the Study and Teaching of At-Risk Students (C-STARS) is a demonstration and validation program which addresses the needs of at-risk children. This model is school referenced, yet designed to enhance the ability of educators to take into account non-school factors which impinge on their ability to provide adequate educational…

Even though middle schools are important in retaining at-risk students, the organization and curriculum of most of them do not meet the developmental needs of young adolescents. Improvements should focus on making middle and junior high schools function less like large, impersonal high schools and more like caring, nurturing elementary schools,…

Operation Rescue is a teacher-initiated and -managed early intervention program to identify and help potential dropouts. The program relies upon establishing one-to-one friendships between at-risk children and volunteers. Cooperation with community groups promotes the goal of "local groups solving local problems." Operation Rescue…

Representing a school-based intervention strategy, the plan presented within this document was designed to help build a student's self-concept and to provide positive interactions between a student having difficulty succeeding at school and school personnel. While the plan is not intended to be a recipe for success with at risk students, it does…

This research project was conducted by McNeese State University College of Education in the fall of 1985 to analyze the problem of high school dropouts in Louisiana. Supervisors of the 64 school parishes in the state's educational system received a questionnaire and were asked to make copies and randomly select at least ten high school dropout…

This report provides direction for the development of a cohesive state policy and plan for the state of Oregon regarding services for at-risk youth. It is also intended to serve as a guide for school districts, community colleges, state agencies, and communities in the further development and improvement of programs for at-risk youth. Section I of…

This document describes an innovative dropout prevention program, Academic Support for Students and Employment Training (Project ASSET). It explains how participants were selected from students considered to be dropout risks because of attendance, grade-level test results, or dropout history and extenuating circumstances. Three types of support…

This document presents the proceedings of a forum held to study the problem of at-risk students and dropouts in South Carolina and to bring together representatives from the state's public schools, institutions of higher education, business and industry, government agencies, community organizations, and private citizens in the hopes of encouraging…

Dropout prevention has become a compelling priority for school personnel. But high school dropout research leaves many school variables largely unexamined. This study describes a staffing committee that had been established in a large urban high school during the 1986-87 school year and responded specifically to referrals of students who were…

The substance of current educational reform neglects disadvantaged students while their numbers have increased 30 percent since 1960. Raising standards without providing strategies for helping disadvantaged students will increase the already high dropout rate. Discusses ways to mobilize instructional and community resources for disadvantaged…

Hundreds of companies are beginning drives to prepare "at-risk" schoolchildren for higher education and eventually pay their tuition, a major change in emphasis from recent corporate giving patterns. (MSE)

Examines the effects of an intrusive advising program on the attrition rate of college freshmen and sophomores. Identifies reasons students drop out and outlines an advising program used at Western New Mexico University. Results showed the intrusive advising program to be effective in reducing attrition rates. (BH)

This study evaluated the quality of the learning experiences, accommodation and support strategies, and post-school outcomes of 40 students with disabilities who participated in Wisconsin's Youth Apprenticeship (YA) programs. The YA program is a rigorous 2-year school- and work-based learning program for high school juniors and seniors. Currently…

Raising graduation rates for students attending schools in the United States is a national priority. As part of the No Child Left Behind Act, schools are required to track and report the percentage of students who graduate with a regular diploma in four years. The magnitude of the problem for student subgroups (including students of Hispanic and…