The issue of high school dropouts in America is both serious and important. Statistics, socioeconomic factors that most dropouts may face, preventative methods, and alternative forms of education that can help students still receive an education will be discussed. Dropping out of high school can lead a student to a more likely future of hardships…

The mission and vision statements of most educational institutions usually share the same lofty goal: to prepare students academically and socially for the opportunities they will face in their future adult lives. Unfortunately, this goal is not being met, and today's generation is facing a crisis going largely unnoticed. Today's graduates appear…

Two alternative high schools, Renaissance School in Indianapolis, and Richard Milburn High School, a for-profit program, both emphasize small class size, nurturing teachers, and innovative programs to reach students who are turned off to school and sometimes everything else. (JOW)

This paper examines available information on early identification of students at risk of prematurely dropping out of school. Many factors such as drug use, lowered educational achievement, delinquency, and unemployment appear to be consequences of dropping out, yet cause and effect is often difficult to define. A variety of school related,…

The school-leaving pattern of students aged 14 in 1978 was recorded by the Austin (Texas) Independent School District from 1978 to 1983, providing data on the socioeconomic, academic, and behavioral characteristics of dropouts and their reasons for dropping out. Several preventative measures are suggested. (PGD)

Focuses on poor grades, one of the primary reasons students drop out of school. Recommends that borderline students be earmarked for special treatment rather than be held to rigorous academic standards or passed when they are actually failing. Suggests that operational procedures for the implementation of special treatment be pedagogically…

Reports on the personal experience of participating in an alternative high school, a project to reclaim at-risk, talented high school dropouts. Discusses the author's experiences, including fatherhood at a young age, on his way to discovering his artistic talent. Illustrations provided by author. (Author/JDM)

Contrasts the ideal of equal educational opportunity with the growing high school dropout problem. Reviews the Education Commission of the States' challenge to educators, business leaders, and policymakers to prevent students from dropping out and make job and educational opportunities available to those who have already left school. (DMM)

Describes LaGuardia Community College's Middle College High School, an alternative school designed for potential dropouts located on a college campus. Considers the administrative structure, relationships with college departments, student selection, staffing, career education, availability of college courses to Middle College students, guidance…

Support services to prevent dropping out of at-risk students include family wraparound services, individual counseling and psychiatry, intensive in-patient treatment, and residential placements. An essential ingredient, interagency collaboration requires common understanding of purposes and goals, communication, and group process skills. (SK)

A study of over 100 dropouts from schools in the western suburbs of Chicago (Illinois) permitted researchers to develop this descriptive overview of the school experiences and family situations typical among dropouts and to offer suggestions for helping potential dropouts stay in school and adjust successfully. (PGD)

This report summarizes the key findings, conclusions, and recommendations of an analysis of 1985-86 outcomes of New York City's state-funded Attendance Improvement-Prevention (AI/DP) program and the city-funded Dropout Prevention Program. The central goal of the evaluation was to understand conditions which encouraged success in middle school…

A look at national and particularly urban dropout rates reveals that the disadvantages of high school dropouts, relative to their graduate peers, are confounded by race, ethnicity, social class, and gender. Their troubles in terms of employment and earnings are more devastating today than they were 20 years ago. Quotes from Chester Finn present…

Underscores the need for educators to address the needs of minorities and at-risk students. Discusses studies of at-risk students undertaken by the Education Commission of the States. Considers the obligations of the schools toward at-risk teens. (DMM)

Discusses the social consequences of dropping out of high school, the behavioral patterns of dropping out, and predictors of dropping out. Suggests that counselors identify potential dropouts early, start programs targeted to meet potential dropouts' needs, and keep in contact with them. (Author/ABB)