The Wisconsin "Learnfare" policy requires that teenagers receiving Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) attend school regularly until they have completed high school. The population of teen parents and dependent teens receiving AFDC from September 1988 through December 1989 included 22,241 males and 30,995 females. About half…

This handbook draws attention to the problem of dropouts in Massachusetts and offers solutions to increase the chances that all students will succeed. It suggests the need for systemic, school-based changes to foster learning environments that meet the emotional, social, physical, and cognitive needs of all students and staff. The handbook is…

This report proposes 2 major governance options and 19 programmatic recommendations, partially directed at expanding the role of community-based organizations in improving the quality of vocational-technical education at the Madison Park/Humphrey Center in Boston. The report is based on a study that assessed and presented the views of Black and…

The Governor's Council on Vocational Education prepared recommendations on vocational education's role in dropout prevention in Kentucky. Eight recommendations were developed as follows: (1) education decision-makers should take appropriate steps to revitalize and implement the concepts of a practical arts exploration program at the seventh- to…

Educational equality for migrant youth has not been realized in American society. By grade 10, 80-90% of migrant youth drop out of school. When migrants drop out, they are academically 1 to 2 years behind other students their age. They have limited English skills, poor self-concepts, few job skills, and no career plans. The National Association of…

This notebook is intended to assist counselors and others responsible for career counseling programs geared toward high-risk youth. The first section describes the research survey that led to the notebook's development and summarizes some of the recent literature concerning at-risk students and strategies that appear successful in helping them.…

Effective schools provide at-risk students with a community of support that encourages school membership and educational engagement. This study describes effective dropout prevention programs, develops a generalizable, theoretical framework for understanding the relationship between at-risk students and their schools, and suggests local and state…

A guide for secondary school practitioners provides strategies for motivating limited-English-proficient (LEP) students to continue their education at least through the secondary level. The guide is based on the project handbook from a Kenwood, Oklahoma community-based dropout-prevention project. The guide begins by presenting dropout statistics,…

This document responds to the need for integration of basic skills into vocational education by providing a summary of research findings, implications, and practical suggestions for teachers. The six sections and four complementary posters are intended as tools for staff development of teachers engaged in teaching basic skills. Sections can also…

A project was conducted to identify and evaluate available microcomputer software for use in helping limited English-proficient (LEP) and English-as-a-second-language (ESL) vocational students to develop career awareness and basic and employability skills. During the project, a literature review was completed in order to identify the special needs…

Studies show that 9 out of 10 migrant students do not complete their high school education. To identify the factors contributing to this high dropout rate, 350 migrant youths were surveyed to assess what they viewed as "good" programs and why they had dropped out of school. Most respondents noted some sort of sports activity as what they liked…

School dropouts not only limit the potential of their own lives but have a negative impact on society. This paper provides a brief description of efforts at Federal, State and local school dsitrict levels in the area of dropout prevention. An overview is given of financial assistance that has been made available through the Elementary and…

The Rural Youth Program, an experimental program structured upon the results of extensive research on the needs of rural youths in the Southeast, is a coordinated in-school/out-of-school program to meet the needs of rural youths 14 to 20 years of age, regardless of whether these needs stem from poverty, an inadequate educational system,…

High school academies are three-year programs offering educationally disadvantaged students an integrated academic and vocational education, extensive counseling and peer support, and employment opportunities. These models to combat dropping out and facilitate transition from school to work are joint efforts of school districts, local businesses,…

The Chapter 188 Dropout Prevention Grant Program funds school districts with high percentages of low-income students and school dropouts to enable them to implement dropout prevention initiatives in grades 7 through 12. The emphasis in funding is on long-term school change in school policy, curriculum, governance, scheduling, programming, support…